buku

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of The World

09:30:00

After I look over my blog, several last post looked pathetic. So let's restart with something neutral. Here is my book review, as published on c20-library.net. Enjoy!
The first thing caught after you opened Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World book is a map: The End of the World map. It brought questions to the mind and made the readers put some expectations: Will it be a challenging journey through the places described in the map? Is it medieval era? And other map-related questions that popped will be crushed to the 1st chapter detailing description. It’s just like Murakami said greeting warmly to the readers, “Welcome to my surreal (book) world.”

Tips: Try to get patient and keep the pace until 5th chapter in one go. Then I bet you can’t stop slurping the story even you’re not completely sure about the vocabulary.

The superb storyline illustration comes from here. Click the picture to enjoy.
In this book, Murakami brought us into an absurd and adventurous storyline. The feeling of thriller and detective stories twisted with a lot of science explanations in every chapter’s corner. We could feel like having musical scene by the rifle of songs’ line here and there, but at the next flip we started the absolute silence; the indefinite solitude. Even the protagonist had polarized character: easygoing but a loner, dreamer yet realistic.

After all of the detail and complicated story that bring awe to the readers, somehow Hard-Boiled feels quite Hollywood-ish. The Western culture which Murakami attached was like foamy milk part in a cup of cappuccino; it dissolved, blended and felt in every sip. The ending was quite easy to guess and the heroic tale seems fulfilled the story gauge. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World was the exact previous work of Norwegian Wood, the notable mega-bestseller of Haruki Murakami, among Japan and other countries. Perhaps, Hard-Boiled didn’t have as much exposure as its kohai* but the Tanizaki Prize (received in 1985) could show how the books had a respected value in Japanese literary.

This is my first Murakami’s. I chose the title based on the date of first edition printed. It’s the oldest in c2o library’s collection. It’s my bad for thinking too deep in each word that made me lost the bigger picture till the 5th chapter. After trying to re-read again in once sitting, I got my nerves back and the thrills began.

Best part for reading this was know that the author participate in translating & adapting the book in English. It made every open-dico-and-thesaurus-regularly paid off, yet understand how the native language disparity vanished in every un-rhyme sentences which linked beautifully.

*kohai : junior

lesson

Cherry on Cherry

22:26:00


Cherry on cherry
To have you was beyond happy.

It's been 8 weeks from my curette procedure. I lost my baby, anyway. 
Just in case you haven't know.

My eyes still cloudy when I try to tell the story. My head still pounding when remembering how it happened. My heart still shiver when I watched any medical apparatus for surgery. And my lips still drawing a smile when I thought of my baby.

Having him and losing him were the heaviest experience till now. It's pulling all of the emotion I had. From being happy, sad, angry, until the hysterical moment I can't described. It's also made many episode in my last 4 months such as piles of scene with genres I couldn't count to be happened in my life. I never believed horror movies, or slasher or any type of films with too many bloods would be. But then, nothing is impossible. Perhaps, later, I would coolly said "I've been on that place" in a scene with the broken-pregnant-woman-full of blood-in her feet and clothes.

I really wish I could.

Because nonstop and too much crying just so exhausting. There was a moment where I could cry 5-6 times a day, hated praying times because I just can't help crying after shalat. Peoples' words sometimes not too helpful. They tried to cheer me up, but ended by easily judging and/or blaming. I became oversensitive and made distance to the world. I felt insecured and my own home is the only shelter I known, where I could share those desperados with hubby.

I did my ascetic life in home for a month. I reflected to myself over and over. The crying(s) which painful became its own salvation. My mind purified by the silence that the wind offered, the dust brought and the sprout grown. I realized how the micromicron-me-that-placed-in-universe has the specific meaning. I could honestly read myself, why I did and done some foolish act, why I could specifically hated someone, I acknowledged all the past, peacefully accepts the present and now put the effort for the future. 

Reflectively, I admit that in the process of marriage, I have a slightest doubt about how my husband will love me. Our relationship started in a very short time after he broke up with his last girlfriend, and he broke up after 4 years in that relationship. A long duration that
I can't ignored easily, considering how she treated my hubby in post-break-up phase.
Me and hubby started the steps such as engagement to wedding in quite short term. Unsurprising, the utmost question came from people around was: why such in a rush? Are you sure? Both of you are stubborn, how would you handle it? 
I, myself, have questions that I didn't know the answers.

 But it's different after I lost my baby. Now I know why God gave me such confidence to tie the knot with him. If it wasn't him, I might be blacked out in the corner of bathroom, overwhelmed by my own bloods. I don't have any doubt, for now and later. 
My questions been answered, fulfilled perfectly.

Dear hubby, you are cherry on cherry.
Thank you for being there, even in the saddest story.