The Help

The Help, written by Kathryn Stockett, is the first book from this year's Big Bad Wolf Sale that I've read, and I think it's really good. The story is about black women working as domestic maids back in 1962 (till 1964). These are some of the things that made the book interesting (perhaps a bit from the technical point of view):
- The story is told from the point of view of three different people, with clear distinction between the three in the chapters splits, the style of narration as well as the narration itself
- The story moves at a good pace (not too slow, not too fast)
- There are 'mystery' plots to keep reader guessing and in suspense
- The plots are not all predictable
- Good dose of humour as well as heart-warming moments

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Perbendaharaan kata

Ya, saya tahu, Pesta Buku baru berlangsung minggu lepas. Saya tidak tulis apa-apa tentangnya kerana ... saya tidak dapat pergi (sedih!). Lebih kurangnya, saya belum habis berpantang selepas bersalin anak ketiga. Tak mengapa, insya-Allah tahun depan boleh pergi jika panjang umur :)

Credit to image source: goodreads.com
Saya baru selesai baca Advencer Si Peniup Ney beberapa minggu sudah. Buku yang diterbitkan pada tahun 2005 ini merupakan sindiran Faisal Tehrani terhadap budaya hiburan tempatan (khususnya Akademi Fantasia yang menjadi kegilaan remaja waktu itu). Seorang ustaz muda bernama Sulaiman dipilih megetuai sekumpulan jin muda untuk berdakwah di sebuah negara jin yang dilanda hedonisma dengan memperkenalkan konsep muzik sebagai alat untuk mendekatkan diri dengan Allah.

Kisah ini sinikal dan menarik, cuma pada pendapat saya bahagian di mana penduduk negara jin dengan cepat berjaya didakwahkan, agak kurang meyakinkan. Tentunya tidak mudah hendak memujuk golongan yang sudah terbiasa dengan sesuatu perkara untuk berubah.

Yang lebih menarik perhatian saya, buku ini menawarkan banyak kosa kata baru, bertepatan dengan apa yang dinyatakan oleh Faisal Tehrani dalam bukunya Karya Nan Indah, bahawa salah satu fungsi karya adalah memperkenalkan perbendaharaan kata baru kepada pembaca. Mula-mula perkataan-perkataan baru ini ('baru' bukan kerana baru dicipta, tetapi kerana jarang digunakan) memang kedengaran janggal, tetapi lama-lama akan terbiasa. Contohnya, perkataan 'ranggi' dan 'canggih' mula popular sekitar tahun 90-an, dan kini sudah biasa digunakan.

Ini antara perkataan-perkataan baru yang saya belajar daripada buku ini (makna dirujuk daripada Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu DBP:

dubilah setan - kata yg menunjukkan ke­hairanan, kata seruan.
kepang - jalinan atau anyaman (tali, rambut)
jerait - berkait-kait; berjalin-jalin
jeregut - besar, rendang, rimbun, tersergam
jereket - melengket, melekat, ber­cantum
sijundai - ilmu sihir yg dapat menggilakan orang
silengah - tidak mengendahkan apa-apa, bersikap tidak tahu
mongkok - 1. (kelihatan,tampak) lebih tinggi drpd yg lain, tertinggi; 2. ki lebih baik (elok, unggul, utama)
kesel - letih, penat
jali - jelas, nyata, terang
sejemang - sebentar
ahmak - bodoh, dungu

Dan ini cuma daripada 5 mukasurat (37-41) untuk dicontohkan. Kelompok perkataan-perkataan 'jerait-jeregut-jereket' dan 'sijundai-silengah' membuatkan saya berhipotesis bahawa metod penulis memasukkan perkataan baru adalah dengan menyelak kamus kemudian mencari atau menyesuaikan ayat mana untuk diletakkan.

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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Credit to image source hachettebookgroup.com
No wonder the book won a Pulitzer Prize and has been dubbed a classic. It's a beautiful story, told beautifully. Set in a small town in Alabama in the 1930s, the story is told in a first-person narration of a young girl called Scout in the span of about 3 years. Although the crux of the novel is the trial of a black man and the crises and issues surrounding it at a time when racial discrimination and prejudice is prevalent, the novel offers so much more.

I love reading about the relationship between Scout and her older brother Jem and how close they are. I love reading about Atticus, Scout's father (who was also the defense lawyer of the abovesaid black man on trial), who is such a noble and righteous character and also a wonderful (single) father. The story told of innocent childhood, innocent thinking, coming of age.

And it's so true what I read once about that novels has a way of preserving history. It's fascinating to read about what it was like at that place at that time - the customs, culture, lifesytle, activities, etc. I have high regards for the book and its author, what a pity it's the only book Harper Lee had written.

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Nama Beta Sultan Alauddin

Credit to image source: ujanailmu.com.my
Meskipun buku ini sudah lama di rak buku, saya tidak lekas memilih untuk membacanya. Barangkali kisah sejarah biasanya 'berat' bagi saya. Jangkaan saya meleset. Dalam buku ini, kisah Sultan Alauddin diceritakan oleh seorang datuk kepada cucu-cucunya. Penceritaan yang ringan dan menarik membuatkan buku ini enak dibaca, dan amat sesuai untuk kanak-kanak.

Saya sudah lupa sebarang fakta berkenaan Sultan Alauddin daripada buku teks Sejarah sekolah menengah dahulu. Menguliti buku ini membuatkan saya teruja membaca bagaimana beliau merupakan seorang pemerintah yang warak dan berwibawa. Sayang sungguh, tempoh pemerintahan beliau tidak lama, akibat perbuatan khianat musuh-musuh dalam istana.

Saya akui, saya seorang yang naif barangkali, tetapi 'kuasa' memang sesuatu yang tidak dapat saya fahami. Saya tidak dapat mengerti bagaimana seseorang boleh menggadai kemaslahatan umum demi kepentingan diri dalam perebutan kuasa. Ah, senanglah saya berkata begitu, setelah peristiwa dan kesannya berlaku (on hindsight/restrospectively). Barangkali sewaktu kejadian tersebut berlaku, setiap pihak menyangka masing-masing yang betul dan berhak.

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Six Suspects and The Good Guy

Thanks Hidayah for lending me these two books!

Credit to image source: hidayahreads.blogspot.com

Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup

I am drawn to pick this book from Hidayah’s collection because it’s written by the same author who penned Q&A. I haven’t read the book, but the movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ had impressed me. I was not disappointed. The story revolves around the murder of Vicky Rai, and the six suspects of this murder

I like the way the author unfold the story, in a ‘modular’ structure (not unlike Q&A), where each sub-chapter builds the plot around each of the six suspects, beginning by introducing them, then explains the motives and how they are related to Vicky Rai (and to each other), and ends with chapters Evidence, Solution, and Confession.

I had enjoyed reading the story – it was engaging, but I’m somewhat not satisfied with the ending.

The Good Guy by Dean Koontz

The story is about Tim Carrier who was mistaken for hitman. Tim decided to warn the targeted victim and we learn that there’s more to Tim and more to the reason why the woman was being targeted when he went all out to save her from the real killer. I like the fact that Tim has a very normal and loving family (I’m a bit sick of reading about broken or dysfunctional families).

I haven’t read this type of thriller for quite awhile, and it has been a refreshing read, in the sense that I don’t need to get emotionally ‘involved’ in the story. Fast-paced and simple yet clever, and nothing ‘deep’ for example going into psychological analysis and stuffs like that.

Credit to image source: hidayahreads.blogspot.com

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Barrel Fever by David Sedaris

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Barrel Fever is divided into 2 sections, the first is Stories which are fiction and the second is Essays which were from the author’s own experience. This is the first David Sedaris book that I’ve read. A friend said he’s a really funny writer so when I saw his books on a friend’s shelf, I was eager to borrow because I was curious. But I’m sorry to say that I didn’t enjoy the read. It’s not that there isn’t anything that I like at all, but the crass and crude jokes far outweighed those. And most of the stories revolve around dysfunctioning individuals or families. I guess it just isn’t my type of humour.

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Menara oleh Isa Kamari

Credit to image source: goodreads.com
Saya tertarik untuk membaca novel sastera Menara garapan Isa Kamari (terbitan PTS Litera Utama) apabila mendapat tahu penulis seorang arkitek dan buku Menara pula merupakan jawapannya kepada persoalan apakah tidak timbul keinginannya untuk menulis novel mengenai pekerjaan arkitek.

Setelah menggeluti buku ini dalam waktu beberapa hari, jelas bahawa buku ini lebih menyorot persoalan falsafah berbanding pekerjaan arkitek secara langsung. Membangunkan binaan dianalogikan sebagai membangunkan jiwa. Sejujurnya, saya mendapati buku ini sedikit ‘berat’ untuk dihadamkan. Banyak perkara tersirat yang cuba disampaikan oleh penulis dan kadangkala saya tidak dapat mengikutinya. Penulis sendiri mengakui dalam ruangan Pengenalan, “Saya akui Menara bukan mudah dibaca dan dihayati. Ia memerlukan kesabaran dan keberanian pembaca. … Oleh kerana itu Menara tidak usah dipanjat dengan terburu-buru. …”

Pada awalnya saya sedikit keliru dengan plot cerita. Bab-bab seperti berselang-seli antara plot utama dengan cerita lain yang kadangkala seperti ada kaitan dengan plot utama dan kadangkala tidak. Usai membaca mukasurat terakhir, barulah saya menyelak kembali ke ruangan Pengenalan di hadapan. Rupa-rupanya, memang penulis sengaja menggunakan kembali cerpen-cerpen yang telah ditulisnya sebelum ini dan menggabungkannya menerusi satu tema (jati diri dalam era globalisasi) yang diolah menjadi plot utama cerita Menara.

Ayat-ayat dalam buku ini enak dibaca, amat berguna untuk menambahkan khazanah ayat satera dalam minda saya. Tambahan pula, penulis banyak memasukkan bait-bait puisi dalam plot utamanya. Tetapi ceritanya barangkali terlalu berat atau filosofikal untuk seorang ‘layman’ seperti saya.

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Menunggu Cinta Tuhan oleh Lily Haslina Nasir

Sumber gambar goodreads.com
Buku terbitan PTS Litera ini tidak mengecewakan. Saya larut dalam cerita yang digarap oleh Lily Haslina Nasir. Ini karya beliau yang pertama saya baca. Impresif juga biografinya; beliau mula menulis seawal usia 13 tahun dan novel pertama beliau diterbitkan sewaktu beliau berusia 17 tahun.

Latar yang dipilih adalah amalan ilmu hitam dan kewartawanan unit hiburan, cukup menarik. Watak-watak utama - Khalida Atikah, graduan bidang syariah yang ingin melakukan dakwah cara sendiri menjadi wartawan unit hiburan; Azrul Rasyid, ketua unit hiburan Akhbar Dinamik yang kasar lagi lantang, tulisannya penuh menyakitkan hati; dan Nureen, gadis seksi yang mula belajar ilmu sihir dari makciknya, Latifah. Ilmu sihir diamalkan untuk melariskan makanan (Latifah memiliki perniagaan restoran), membalas dendam dan sebagai ubat pengasih.

Pengakhiran cerita ini sebenarnya tidak sukar dijangka, tapi saya seronok juga membaca untuk mengetahui bagaimana perinciannya. Prolog yang diberi di permulaan novel juga sudah menggambarkan kesudahan cerita, tetapi saya dapati ada sesuatu yang 'tidak kena' (plot tidak konsisten/kongruen) dengan prolog ini apabila sudah selesai membaca keseluruhan novel. Ada juga satu plot dalam cerita (berkenaan rahsia ibu Azrul) yang sedikit tergantung. Dan akhir sekali, meskipun isu remeh sahaja, saya kurang setuju dengan pemilihan wajah yang menjadi penghias kulit depan novel ini, wajah gadis dari ras Kaukasian/Arab sedangkan watak yang cuba digambarkan (Khalida Atikah) berbangsa Melayu. Bukannya apa, pandangan pertama (first impression) jika tidak dibaca blurb kulit belakang mungkin menyebabkan bakal pembeli menyangka ini kisah cinta berbeza budaya.

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Angela's Ashes and 'Tis by Frank McCourt

Angela's Ashes was firt published way back in 1996 but I've only managed to read it recently. It's a memoir of the author's difficult and poor childhood in Limerick, Ireland. It's very sad to read such hardships, and I cried a few times, for example when his sister and brothers died. I had 'Tis with me as well, so I was fortunate to be able to continue reading about Frank's life in his next book. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy 'Tis as much as I had enjoyed Angela's Ashes. In the first book, the author, as a boy, seems to be strong and brave, intent on helping his family survive and get out of the poverty. But in the second book, when he starts having a more comfortable life, and his family is much better, he seems to be a bit confused and at times almost 'aimless'. It is not my intent to judge him, it's just that I felt, his story became an ordinary life story in the second book. Even the part about his teaching career wasn't very inspiring. There were several instances when he shone as an inspiring teacher, but in general he seems quite ordinary in his struggles dealing with uninterested students and low wages. I guess I wouldn't be looking for the third book Teacher Man.

The other thing that ticked me off a bit while reading both his first and second book is the details he went through when describing his 'excitements' and 'adventures'. I thought, what would his wife and ex-wife be thinking and feeling when reading those? On the positive side, I guess it helps me to understand how easily boys get excited and hence appreciate more on how Islam manages this, by giving guides on covering (aurat), behaviours, boundaries etc. I also gain further appreciation of Islam's ruling against drinking alcohol, reading about how the father's drinking habits had such an impact to his family. It's difficult to understand how a father, supposedly the head of the family, could drink all his wages away and let his family starve and beg.

All in all, I'd still recommend Angela's Ashes as a good read. Borrowing a sentence from the Wiki link above, "Despite all the hardships, many passages of the story are told with wry humor and charm."

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Perindu Pelangi

Novel pertama tulisan Siti Munirah A. Rashid ini diterbitkan oleh Galeri Ilmu. Berikut merupakan sinopsis yang diberi dalam katalog buku Galeri Ilmu:

Akil masih terlalu mentah untuk menanggung musibah sebegitu berat. Mujurlah ada tangan yang simpati, lalu dia dibawa pergi. Belasan tahun dia hidup ceria di Guangzhou, China. Namun segalanya berubah selepas perkenalannya dengan Isador, konflik dengan Ho Man, kemelut hubungannya dengan Xiao Wei dan peristiwa tragik sewaktu kepulangan singkatnya ke Malaysia.

Jika ditanya saya, apa sebenarnya tema atau konflik utama dalam cerita ini, saya pun tidak pasti. Yang saya pasti, novel setebal 388 halaman ini membawa pembaca mengikuti kisah Akil dalam jangkamasa lebih kurang dua tahun. Tapi saya memang amat suka akan novel ini. Syabas kepada penulis muda Siti Munirah!

Ceritanya meyakinkan, plotnya menarik dan bergerak laju, garapannya kemas dan tidak meleret-leret. Latar yang dipilih iaitu negara China dan kerjaya Akil sebagai tukang masak amat membantu dalam menghidupkan cerita. Akil selaku protagonis juga amat 'real' - walaupun hampir sempurna, tetapi tidak pula sunyi dari berbuat kesalahan. Saya suka - kisah kasih-sayang yang melangkaui hubungan darah, persahabatan yang melangkaui ukhuwwah agama. Namun, ada juga beberapa bahagian yang barangkali boleh diperbaiki dan diperkemaskan supaya tiada tanda tanya dari pihak pembaca. Saya tidak sebutkan di sini, kerana ini cuma pendapat peribadi saya. Lagi pun, saya tak mahu tuliskan 'spoiler' - nanti kalian sudah tahu sebahagian daripada cerita dalam novel ini.

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Inspector Singh by Shamini Flint

OK, I'll start by declaring - one of my favourite fiction genre is whodunits. A whodunit or whodunnit (for "Who done it?") is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest. The reader is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed in the final pages of the book. The investigation is usually conducted by an eccentric amateur or semi-professional detective. From Wikipedia.

My favourite author for this genre is Agatha Christie, surprise surprise. This Inspector Singh series written Shamini Flint belongs to this genre. I’ve been curious and eager to read this book since I heard about it last year. I’ve just finished reading the first book, A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder, thanks to a friend’s friend who generously lent it to me. My verdict – good! Here’s the blurb:

Inspector Singh is in a bad mood. He’s been sent from his home in Singapore to Kuala Lumpur to solve a murder that has him stumped. Chelsea Liew - the famous Singaporean model - is on death row for the murder of her ex-husband. She swears she didn’t do it, he thinks she didn’t do it, but no matter how hard he tries to get to the bottom of things, he still arrives back at the same place - that Chelsea’s husband was shot at point blank range, and that Chelsea had the best motivation to pull the trigger: he was taking her kids away from her. Now Inspector Singh must pull out all the stops to crack a crime that could potentially free a beautiful and innocent woman and reunite a mother with her children. There’s just one problem - the Malaysian police refuse to play ball?

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The fact that the book is using a local scene works two ways. It’s interesting in the sense that many things mentioned in the book are familiar or something I can relate to. But at the same time, I could get defensive as well, on the nation and religion pride. In the book A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder for example, the man who whose murder was being investigated, was in the middle of a custody battle with his divorced wife. In a (supposed legal) twist, he was presented in the court to have converted to Islam, and the wife claims that the conversion is not genuine, just a plot to win the custody. The religion card can be a bit sensitive naturally, but I try to keep an open mind. And to be honest, I do feel that the author was fair when writing about Malaysia and its laws and enforcement.

I think the story is convincing and believable, and the author has managed to insert light moments and humour that created an entertaining read. In short, I’ve enjoyed reading it and I look forward to reading the next books in the series: A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul and The Singapore School of Villainy. I wonder where the next book will take place in?

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Fantasy fiction

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I have just finished reading the book Dark Alchemy, which is a compilation of 18 short stories on the theme of magic and wizardry. I’m not the biggest fan of fantasy fiction, it’s more MH’s favourite genre rather than mine, in fact I had bought the book for him. But there are a quite a few of the stories that I had really enjoyed! (There’s also a few that I don’t quite ‘get’.)

Somehow I found myself assessing how I generally accept fantasy fiction written in English compared to the ones in BM. I think there is some sort of mental or cultural ‘block’ if I read a BM fantasy fiction, especially if the story uses Malaysia as the backdrop. My mind would be quick to think – nah, this is so unconvincing or illogical. But if it’s a story written in English and in some far far away places, I somehow don’t ‘judge’ the stories because I have no expectations and knowledge and they are all so distant.

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The Time Traveller’s Wife

This book is an absolute must-read! I was hooked from the first chapter. The Time Traveller’s Wife was written by Audrey Niffenegger. The story revolves around Henry who could time travel (albeit involuntarily - he had no control) and his relationship with his wife Clare, and their attempt to lead a normal life. Clare first met Henry when she was 6 and Henry was 36. Henry first met Clare when he was 28 and Clare was 20. The main premise promises this to be an interesting story - when one can time-travel, the boundary between cause and effect, between what has already happened or not, between what one knows or not, becomes blurred. Examples of new context of the word when that I found amusing: ‘I wake up and I find that he’s gone. He must be elsewhen.’ And ‘When are you from?’ A warning, this book contains illicit scenes that deems it suitable only for mature readers.


Another interesting bit about this book is, because it’s written in a first-person view for both Henry and Clare, at different ages, the author has taken care to write in a such a way as to show how a 6-year old or 12-year old Clare sees things differently compared to say a more grown-up Clare. I’ve always find it interesting (I think I use the word interesting too many times) with this method of writing. Two other good examples are The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw where the story is told from 3 perspectives, and hence the narrative style differs in the three distinct chapters. The other book is Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, where the protaganist undergo scientific experiments that altered his brain and mind, and this is illustrated indirectly in the first-person narration.

One of the things I learnt (or rather I’m reminded of) is to appreciate my moments more, my here and now. I don’t time travel (duh), but there could still be tendencies to look backward or forward beyond reasonable limits. Not anymore. Here and now. Here and now.

When I really like a book, I usually try to promote it to my family (depending on suitability). To my sister I said: “Nanti saya pinjamkan kat awak, ok?” (not “Awak nak pinjam tak?” hehe, so pushy). She was skeptical. “Hmm.. taste kita tak berapa sama.” I answered, “Don’t worry, it’s a love story! Sure you’ll like it.” When I offerred this book to MHH, he was reluctant “But it’s a love story.” I answered “But this guy time-travels, it’s interesting!” Haha, different pitch for different taste :)

I'm aware that the film made based on this book is out, but I'm not interested to watch it because I already know the story and how it all ends. I'm also aware that Audrey Niffenegger's second book titled Her Fearful Symmetry is already published and THAT - is in my wishlist :)

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