[REVIEW] The Secret of Skytop Hill

The Secret of Skytop Hill – A Thrilling Collection of Adventure Stories

Enid Blyton | 2014, Bounty Books | 352 pages

Illustrated by Pythis Ashton-Jewell

Cover illustration by Laurence Whiteley

978-0-75372-705-8

Hardcover, BBW Jakarta 2017, IDR 85000

Reading Enid Blyton made me feel nostalgic. As a person who grew up entangling in adventures with the Famous Five and Five Find-Outers, I am curious how it feels to reread or read another works of Enid Blyton now. Would I be thrilled over again by those kinds of adventure?

*

I bought this book at BBW Jakarta 2017 (technically it was not in Jakarta; it was in South Tangerang) and only in the mid of 2018 I finally read it. This book contains 13 stories; some of them link to each other, i. e. “The Mystery of Melling Cottage”, “Number Sixty-two” and “The Case of The Five Dogs” which present John the “detective” as the main character. Most of the stories, of course, was about teens trying to uncover the mysteries they found, and it can be their first time engaging in that kind of mystery-solving. (So, I, who during these years in my life of absenteeism of Blyton’s mystery books have consumed adult mystery fictions which much more sophisticated—Holmes, Poirot, Yukawa “Detective Galileo”—now needed to adjust my expectation when reading Blyton’s mystery fiction for teens in which the characters are also teens and the plot was simple enough for quick case-solving.)

For example, “The Mystery of Melling Cottage” is the story when John the “detective” was first engaged in his own mysterious case. Beforehand, he only could imagine that he was a detective. He adored his Uncle Thomas, who was an inspector in the police force, and he loved to hear the tales of catching burglars, thieves…. But, I dare say that the mysterious case didn’t happen to John out-of-nowhere; it could happen since John let it by doing what his uncle once said,

“We learn to use our eyes, our ears, yes, and even our noses, in the police force! You would be surprised if you knew how many times a very small thing has led to the capture of criminals.” (p. 90)

Whoa, indeed, this is one of the messages the author wanted to deliver to me!

Because John was eager to find something strange, the universe author granted him through small things when he ought to go to Melling Cottage to give a bundle of old clothes from his mother to Mrs Browning (who lived all alone there). But, strangely, John discovered the signs that there was another inhabitant besides of Mrs Browning in that cottage. Who could that be?

Ever since John had solved the mystery of Melling Cottage he had been on the lookout for another. But mysteries didn’t seem to come along very often—and some mysteries turned out not to be mysteries after all! (p. 145). This time, in “Number Sixty-two”, John was eager nothing like before to solve mysteries again. When he climbed and settled at a branch of a tree in Oaktree Wood, he heard two men in their (seemed-to-be) secret meeting under him. The one said, “Number 62, tomorrow” that made John thrilled. What could that mean? And then, he tried to search and solve the number of what that 62 might be.

“The Case of the Five Dogs” is the last John the “detective”’s story in this book. After solving the previous cases, John was becoming pretty well-known in his neighbourhood. One day, four kids came to him, seeking for help to prove that their dogs neither killed nor chased Farmer Warner’s sheep. Instead, it was the log-man’s black dog that did it. Julie, one of the gypsies, told them that she saw the big black dog chase the sheep and kill it, but she won’t tell the police because she was afraid of the police. But, was it true, for the log-man said that at that time when the sheep was killed, he was miles away from there. Which one was true? And, I wondered, why were the gypsies scared of policemen? (p. 248)

*

If John the “detective” gained the fame from his acts, James and Malcolm (in “Great-Grandpa’s Telescope” got a pair of real binoculars as a reward from the police for helping get the thieves arrested. And it was James’ great-grandpa’s telescope that made James spot some men on the church’s roof, and then, he with his friend, Malcolm, tried to discover what they were doing suspiciously. Meanwhile, for helping the police to arrest the smugglers, the three kids in “A Night on Thunder Rock” got a new boat as reward, for their old boat was leaking very badly and finally sank, just before they got to shore. But maybe James, Susie, and George in “The Lost Treasure” were the ones who got the most bejewelled reward—the famous family jewels, hidden treasure of their great-great-grandfather—of course, if they could find it, or if that treasure even existed. Did Blyton imply that one deserves reward for her/his good deed.

The main character did not always get the role of the detective. In “It Happened One Afternoon”, Mike, the main character, was the culprit. And the case itself was so simple. One afternoon, Mike came into his Dad’s study, saw his new golf club and swung it; accidentally it smashed a valuable vase. Mike was a coward, so he ran and hid. And, who knows that his friend, Joe, who then will be blamed?

*

Some stories have this typical plot: a bunch of teens (usually they’re in [summer] holiday, so they had plenty of times to follow their curiosity and were not in the time when everybody is engaged with their gadgets) went to an old (supposed to be empty) house, found a secret passage, and then saw mysterious things that were actually the “clues”. “The Secret of Skytop Hill” follows this pattern, in which John, Molly, and Harry went to the old ruin at the bottom of Skytop Hill. Inside the ruin, they wanted to set the fire in the fireplace but they found that something was blocking the chimney. Guess what? It was a box contained a map. They followed the map, walked down into the secret passage led towards the heart of the hill. They discovered a powerful lamp hidden inside the hill with its light shone up—what for? However there’s something I still wondered: the inspector claimed that it was actually a little nest of spies, but spies of what? What was they’re spying?

And other stories weren’t about mystery-solving at all, i.e. “The Wild West Kids”, “Caravan Holiday”, and “A Week before Christmas”. “The Wild West Kids” is a lengthy, near-boring drama about a circus. Peter and Jill loved to ride their horses, Bunter and Nuzzler, so much. They even liked to do some tricks as if they were in circus. Luckily, there was a circus camp arrived there, and they got to know Sam and Dan, “the world’s wonder riders, the real Wild West Kids”, and learn many tricks from them. But, unfortunately, before the last performance, Sam fell from the top of the tent and couldn’t perform. Blyton showed that diversity is a normal thing (in circus): each performer has their own fondness towards particular animal. Jill liked horses, Madame Lilliput loved dogs, etc. (pp. 281 – 282).

Meanwhile, in “A Circus Adventure”, two mischievous children made a scene in the circus that came to their village. They unlocked Sammy the chimp’s caravan and opened the monkeys’ caravan. They’re out to the village and their masters were frantically looking for them.

And then, “A Week before Christmas” told about three nice children, Robert, Ellen, and Betsy who agreed to look for jobs to earn money for it was a week before Christmas and sadly, Mum’s lost her purse that contained all of the money she had to prepare all the Christmas things. Robert was being a delivery-boy for the butcher; Ellen helped Mrs Harris to take her three little children for walks; and Betsy was reading and being a good company to Mrs Sullivan. They all did their jobs very well and finally could have a decent Christmas celebration. And see, what the kind words Robert told his mum,

“And what’s more, Mum, I once heard the headmaster’s wife saying to the head that she had noticed that all the nicest children were the ones that had the best mothers—so, if you think we’re nice, you’ve got yourself to thank!” (Robert, p. 345)

*

Apparently, the most interesting thing for me is the gender-based stereotypes that I found. In a game which was played by the children in “The Wild West Kids”, the girl is the one who should be rescued by boys (p. 280). In the most tiring-cum-annoying story in this book, “Caravan Holiday”, the socially constructed gender role was explicitly shown when Roddy told his sisters (Jenny and Ann) to do the packing for their holiday (p. 167) and then do the cooking when they were out caravanning, although actually Jenny didn’t like to do those things (p. 168), but she ought to do it anyway just because she was a girl. Meanwhile, towards Geoff, Roddy stated (p. 164) that “he will be all the odd jobs of getting wood for the fire, putting up the tent, and that kind of thing.” It didn’t matter if Geoff really wanted to do it or not; he must do it because he was a boy. And he was lazy; so was Jenny, so Roddy got angry easily as the oldest made them do things.

Nevertheless, I appreciate how Blyton had portrayed how four young brothers and sisters with his and her own weakness went caravanning on their holiday and in that journey, they learned from their mistakes. After they came to a turning point, the story was ended with them promising each other and decided to continuing the holiday better. Well, just a promise? Hehehe.

In “The Lonely Old House” I also found a sexist comment. Dick, Cathy, and Harry, oh, and their dog, Kim, discovered a secret underground passage which led towards the cellar of the old empty house. And then there was someone—“a real recluse”—came to stay at that house. In a night, Harry saw a light went out through the top window of that house, as if someone was trying to give signal to somebody. Cathy was indeed afraid of one’s shadow, but it’s not right for Dick to—though he meant to be kidding—say like this to her:

“Do come on. Can’t you enjoy an adventure, Cathy? Just like a girl—scared of everything.” (p. 113)

WOW, Dick, she was really a girl—not “like a girl”, and “scared of everything” was not a character built in the DNA of girls. I’m not blaming the author here, for maybe she just projected reality of gender stereotyping in the 20th century in UK. But, still. She could do better. When a writer is writing, (a part of) her/his ideology is also dwelling into the writing.

Look, this book maybe is also responsible in conserving patriarchy by teaching its young readers how to act based on her/his gender and how to throw sexist comment at their friend! And maybe someone reads this and accuses me of violating the freedom of writing of the deceased author, but hey, what can I be violating while her books have already spreaded all over the world? 

*

As a whole, this book, which was first published in 1998, didn’t give me much thrill, but it entertained me in my holiday last June with the stories of holiday too. And the nostalgia it gave me was irreplaceable. But, I am also anxious, what if the other books by Blyton (including the ones I have read when I was too naive to be aware) also include these kinds of gender stereotypes and sexist comments?

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[Resensi NYAWA] "Rasa sakit selalu membuatku tertawa."

Judul: Nyawa

Penulis: Vinca Callista

Editor: Starin Sani & Dila Maretihaqsari

Penerbit: Bentang Belia

Cetakan: I, Mei 2015

Tebal: iv + 296 halaman

ISBN: 978-602-1383-46-9

Harga: Rp 54.000,00

Ratingku: ★★★☆☆

“Aku suka kematian. Aku ingin kematian.
Aku ingin ketemu…”
(hlm. 208)

Kaatje. Pemeran utama—si Wanita Angka—teater Kubang mati di atas panggung kala sedang berpentas. Menit terakhir sebelum nyawanya direnggut lantai gedung yang mematahkan lehernya, ia tertawa-tawa di luar naskah, lalu seperti melayang sesaat dan terjungkal dari atas panggung. Ia mati di panggung yang membesarkan namanya. Kaatje mati, dari sepatu haknya bermunculan peniti-peniti; kakinya bertitik-titik merah: darah.

Di tribun penonton, seorang gadis tertawa-tawa menyaksikan itu, lalu menusuk-nusuk tangannya dengan peniti.

---

Penghuni kos Pondok Kumis hari itu pindah ke kos Rumah Mangga, kos yang masih dikelola oleh pemilik yang sama, lantaran kos yang lama hendak diratakan dengan tanah. Di kos itu ada delapan kamar, semuanya terisi. Ada Lian, gadis yang bergaya pakaian kuno—seperti yang sering dijadikan bahan gosip oleh Cangi dan Gandes, tidak mau makan di depan teman-temannya, dan suka melontarkan pertanyaan tak lazim secara tiba-tiba. Gadis itu kadang terbangun dengan bekas cekikan di lehernya. Di dalam kamarnya ada kardus-kardus yang ia sebut berisi persediaan.

“Ini buat persediaan aja. Aku butuh biar bisa deket terus sama orang yang aku sayang.” (Lian, hlm. 32)

Ada Rory, gadis populer yang cerdas, supel, tegas, kritis, tidak suka bergosip. Awalnya cuma Rory yang mau dekat-dekat dengan Lian. Ia punya hobi lari, mengobrol dengan orang-orang gila di pinggir jalan. Sejak magang di Padepokan Seni Pijar, jiwanya terikat oleh tempat itu. Di sana ia menekuni gambang bambu, juga teater. Dalam teater Kubang untuk memperingati 100 hari kepergian Kaatje, Rory mendapatkan peran utama. Peran yang sama dengan Kaatje. Mendekati pementasan, ia makin sering dihantui mimpi buruk tentang Kaatje. Jika teater itu diharapkan sememukau saat masih diperankan oleh Kaatje, apakah itu berarti Rory harus mati seperti Kaatje telah mati?

Cangi dan Gandes, dua orang teman dekat yang anehnya, tidak menampakkan interaksi persahabatan yang sehat. Cangi, si biang gosip yang suka asal jiplak itu sebenarnya naksir Aria. Sementara itu, Gandes, yang ingin jadi selebriti dan terobsesi pengin kurus, naksir Sandre. Sayang, Aria dan Sandre sama-sama naksir berat Rory. Aria, orang yang tertutup itu mungkin cuma membuka dirinya pada Rory. Pemilik kafe O’Koffie itu suka ngemilin biji kopi. Sementara itu, Sandre si blasteran ganteng, suka tebar pesona, playboy, dan suka mengambil keuntungan dari para cewek yang mengejar-ngejarnya.

“Yang penting bikin diri sendiri puas, dan biarkan orang lain penasaran.” (prinsip yang dipelajari Sandre dari Rory, hlm. 97)

Terakhir, ada Danu dan Mara, sepasang kekasih yang penuh drama. Mara cewek yang dominan, manja, rewel, cemburuan, dan sombong. Danu, yang submisif, sering tak bisa berbuat apa-apa selain menuruti Mara. Mereka semua kuliah di Universitas Palagan, kecuali Aria, yang kuliah di sekolah bisnis.

---

Keanehan-keanehan mulai merayapi Rumah Mangga, dimulai dari sepasang kakek-nenek misterius yang dipergoki Lian (eh, sebenarnya Lianlah yang dipergoki mereka sedang memergoki mereka—nah, lho!) masuk ke kosan dan menghilang ke halaman belakang. Siapa mereka? Lalu ada suara-suara pikiran yang merisaukan, entah milik siapa, menyeruak sejak awal dalam bentuk cetakan miring.

“Ingin kuludahi saja mereka. Lalu, kutendang satu-satu wajahnya hingga belah.”
(hlm. 11)

Ada suara-suara lenguhan seperti orang kesakitan di malam hari, seperti pernah didengar oleh Aria dan Rory. Sementara itu, Cangi pernah mendengar suara yang terdengar seperti anak kecil sedang mengoceh di malam hari. Dan siapa sangka, ternyata di halaman belakang Rumah Mangga ada kuburan?

***

“Rasa sakit selalu membuatku tertawa.”
(hlm. 115)

Ini kali ketiga aku membaca novel psychothriller Vinca. Yang pertama, Seruak, tetap menjadi yang terbaik, menurutku. Mungkin karena itu pertama kalinya aku berkenalan dengan gaya thriller blio. Yang kedua, Kilah, sangat biasa saja. Yang ketiga, adalah novel ini. Dari tiga buku itu, aku mendapati beberapa formula khas Vinca dalam meracik psychothriller-nya.

Pertama, di tiga buku blio yang sudah saya baca tersebut, ini kali ketiga blio meletakkan tokoh sekelompok anak muda yang berada dalam satu lokasi, lalu terjadi hal-hal aneh di sekitar mereka.

Kedua, permainan sudut pandang penceritaan. Aku ingat betapa dulu terpukau oleh permainan sudut pandang Boni–Nina dalam Seruak (FYI, di Nyawa ini nama “Natanina” nongol lagi, lho! Saya jadi menduga-duga, mungkin nama itu adalah nama favorit Vinca.). Nah, dalam novel ini, Vinca mengajak kita menyusuri alur maju di masa kini, yang bermula dari kepindahan para penghuni Pondok Kumis ke Rumah Mangga, dengan sudut pandang orang ketiga. Lalu, lewat sudut pandang orang pertama seseorang melesatkan kita ke masa lalu, dimulai dari tragedi meninggalnya Kaatje, terus ke masa yang lebih lalu. Permainan sudut pandang penceritaan ini memberi ruang bagi eksplorasi tokoh dan penciptaan nuansa misterius akibat anonimitas narator. “Siapa yang berbicara?” yang pada akhirnya berguna bagi Vinca untuk menyamarkan pelaku sesungguhnya.

Ketiga, berkaitan erat dengan poin kedua, adanya tokoh(-tokoh) yang mencurigakan, juga adanya tokoh perempuan yang keren abis. Ya, yang terakhir itu maksudku adalah tokoh Rory. Awalnya aku menyukai tokoh ini, bagaimana tidak? Berbakat di bidang seni, kepribadiannya bagus, cantik… Namun aku menyukainya pertama kali sejak ia mengkritisi asosiasi warna dengan gender.

“Kamar cewek itu nggak mesti pink. Warna pink itu nggak harus diidentikkan sama cewek. […] ‘Cewek harus pakai warna pink’ dan ‘cowok nggak boleh pakai warna pink’ itu cuma hasil konstruksi sosial. Saya nggak mau ngebatasin kemampuan kita cuma gara-gara kita nggak sadar buat keluar dari kurungan konstruksi sosial.” (Rory, hlm. 16)

Tapi makin ke belakang, aku merasa bahwa Rory ini terlalu sempurna. Kenapa dia diciptakan seperti itu, ya? Satu-satunya kesialannya pun tak mencederai kebijaksanaannya sama sekali. Namun menurutku ada satu blunder yang dia buat (Atau penulis yang buat? Entah dengan sengaja atau tidak.). Aku menangkap kesan bahwa Rory tak mau jadi pacar siapa pun karena kadung cinta pada seorang lelaki yang dia tahu tak akan pernah membalas cintanya. Rory jadi terdengar seperti “membalas dendam akan keadaan itu” tapi di sisi lain tetap berlagak seperti orang paling bijaksana dan orang-orang di sekitarnya pun menganggapnya begitu. Karena tahu bahwa lelaki itu tak akan membalas cintanya dan sialnya ia tetap mencintai lelaki itu, maka ia memutuskan untuk mengambil keuntungan dari para lelaki lain yang dengan senang hati menyenangkannya, meski tahu bahwa ia tak akan menjadi pacar salah satu dari mereka. Aku kok nggak bisa bersimpati dengan prinsip Rory yang satu ini. (Itu lho, yang tadi dikutip Sandre untuk membenarkan perilaku playboy-nya.)

Keempat, Vinca selalu berusaha menyelipkan opininya mengenai isu-isu sosial lewat suara tokohnya. Kali ini adalah isu tentang gender yang blio suarakan lewat Rory. Dan kritik-kritik sosial ini tidak semembahana yang blio usung di novel Seruak.

Kelima, ada kelainan tertentu yang diderita oleh tokoh tertentu. Di sini ada alien hand syndrome, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, dan Fregoli Delusion. Yang terakhir itu diinterpretasikan menjadi gambar sampul novel ini. Isu ini yang paling menarik bagiku, selain karena aku memang tertarik dengan pembahasan seputar penyakit mental, juga karena Munchausen syndrome by proxy dan Fregoli Delusion baru pertama ini kudengar. Kalau alien hand syndrome (AHS) sudah pernah kuketahui. (Kayaknya ini juga diderita oleh Alfa di Supernova: Gelombang, ya nggak, sih? Oya, jadi inget film jadul Idle Hands yang dibintangi si ganteng Devon Sawa. Paling ganteng tetap pas main di film Casper. Eh, maaf, ngelantur.) Penderita sindrom ini tak sadar ketika tangannya “bergerak sendiri”. Menurut sumber yang kubaca, sindrom ini berkaitan dengan kerusakan saraf. Namun di dalam novel ini, Vinca mengesankan bahwa kondisi jiwa yang tak sehatlah yang menyebabkan si tokoh mengalami AHS. Nah, apakah mungkin AHS disebabkan oleh penyakit jiwa alih-alih kerusakan saraf? Seperti yang kutemukan di artikel Neurology Times, menurut rekaman data medis, AHS ini sepenuhnya adalah kelainan saraf, tanpa ada unsur penyakit jiwa. Namun sering terjadi salah diagnosis di antara pasien yang diduga menderita AHS, bahwa “tangan mereka bergerak sendiri” itu sebenarnya disebabkan oleh kelainan jiwa. Nah, mungkin saja, si tokoh dalam novel ini tak benar-benar menderita AHS, melainkan itu salah satu efek dari kelainan jiwanya. Hmm, entahlah.

Sementara itu, Munchausensyndrome by proxy (MSBP) kebanyakan diderita oleh para ibu. Seorang ibu yang menderita MSBP terobsesi agar anaknya terlihat sakit, padahal sebenarnya tidak sakit sama sekali. Ini adalah penyakit mental yang mungkin disebabkan oleh trauma masa kanak-kanak si penderita, yang kemungkinan juga menjadi korban dari orang tua penderita MSBP.

Terakhir, Fregoli delusion. Penderita penyakit mental ini mengira bahwa banyak orang di sekitar mereka sebenarnya adalah satu orang yang sama yang sedang menyamar. Penamaan kelainan ini diambil dari nama Leopoldo Fregoli, seorang aktor Italia yang terkenal dengan kemampuannya yang luar biasa untuk menirukan orang-orang di panggung (Langdon, Connaughton, Coltheart [2014]). Fregoli juga bisa dengan cepat berubah-ubah penampilan saat di atas panggung (Frontier Psychiatrist).

Keenam, petunjuk teka-teki yang diumpankan pada pembaca pada ruang dan waktu tertentu, salah satunya untuk mempertahankan nuansa misterius dan membuat pembaca penasaran. Tapi tidak terlalu berhasil padaku. Di pertengahan novel, aku sudah menebak (dengan benar) siapa keponakan Kaatje. Memang sepertinya Vinca membuat ini bisa tertebak dengan mudah (?).

Alur novel ini tidak semenegangkan alur Seruak, maka kupikir bukan pada unsur thriller-nyalah keunggulan novel ini, melainkan pada ide-ide brilian yang dikombinasikan oleh Vinca di dalamnya. Banyaknya tokoh dengan keistimewaan masing-masing tentu berperan dalam hal ini. Dalam novel ini kita bisa menonton teater, mendengar musik dari gambang bambu, melihat Aria mengembangkan bisnis, melihat Sandre mengedit video dokumenternya. Kita diingatkan juga tentang deret Fibonacci dan bagaimana briliannya ide Isvara untuk mengangkatnya dalam naskah teater. Kita juga menyaksikan berbagai kelainan mental.

Namun, ide-ide brilian yang banyak ini jugalah yang jadi titik lemah Nyawa. Aku merasa banyak yang ingin diceritakan oleh Vinca tapi jumlah halaman tak mampu mewadahinya. Jadinya banyak yang nanggung. Banyak hal yang sangat potensial untuk dieksplorasi lebih jauh (ini, sih, semata keegoisanku sebagai seorang pembaca yang ingin mengetahui lebih banyak 😅). Misalnya, masa lalu Lian dengan orang tuanya, terutama ibunya yang terobsesi bahwa anaknya sakit. Bagian ini cuma diceritakan sedikit, padahal ini sangat krusial bagi perkembangan karakter Lian dan bagi kita kalau ingin mengenal Lian dengan lebih dekat dan lebih benar. Ah, yang paling kusayangkan adalah sangat minimnya eksplorasi personal Kaatje, padahal tokoh ini sangat menarik. Yang kuketahui hanyalah bahwa ia pemain teater fenomenal, menjadi pujaan banyak lelaki, dan terobsesi menjadi seperti Leopoldo Fregoli. Apa yang menyebabkan ia jadi seperti itu?

Bagian akhirnya juga jadi terasa, “Loh, gitu doang?” Kukira Kaatje dibunuh keponakannya, ternyata…. Ini mungkin dimaksudkan jadi twist, tapi kok tidak terasa seperti twist, malah ia berlalu begitu saja tanpa sempat aku terpukau olehnya. Namun terlepas dari itu semua, aku mengapresiasi kegigihan Vinca untuk memperkaya khazanah novel psychothriller domestik yang tidak receh (seperti kubilang tadi, banyak ide brilian kita jumpai di novel ini; juga banyak pengetahuan baru yang kudapat). Blio juga memberi panggung bagi kesenian lokal, meski hanya sekilas. Juga bagaimana dengan tokoh sebanyak itu, blio bisa memberi ruang bagi masing-masing untuk bergerak dan membangun kekhasan tiap karakter hingga terus teringat oleh pembaca. Akhirnya, aku menantikan karya Vinca yang lebih menawan.

“Kalau kami sedih, kami tertawa.”
(hlm. 70)

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[Resensi A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS] Kerasukan, Penyakit Mental, atau yang Lain?

A Head Full of Ghosts | Paul Tremblay
Penerjemah: Reni Indardini
Nourabooks | Maret 2017 | 400 hlm
Rp 74.000,00
978-602-385-253-6

*buku ini adalah salah satu hadiah kuis ulang tahun Mizan yang ke-34

** resensi ini pernah nongol di IG saya, kali ini saya tambahkan hal-hal yang menurut saya penting tapi kepsyen IG tidak cukup menampungnya 

Lima belas tahun yang lalu. Merry delapan tahun, Marjorie empat belas tahun. Merry tidak paham ketika ibu mereka yang atheis bilang bahwa Marjorie sedang "sakit", dan membawanya secara berkala ke psikiater. Sementara itu, ayah mereka baru kena PHK dan sejak itu jadi gampang berubah-ubah suasana hatinya. Sang ayah lalu bergabung dengan suatu gereja dan menjalin kedekatan dengan Bapa Wanderly. Di keyakinan sang ayah, Marjorie "kerasukan roh jahat". Oleh karena itu, ia berkeras mempertemukannya dengan Bapa Wanderly, alih-alih mengantarkannya konsultasi ke psikiater langganannya. Maka dari itu, timbullah perselisihan antara sang ibu dan sang ayah. 

Jadi, Marjorie benar-benar kerasukan atau sakit mental? 

Memang, sih, Merry sering mendapati kakaknya melakukan hal-hal aneh. Mulai dari menceritakan kisah-kisah horor tentang molasses dan "yang tumbuh", menyelinap ke kamar Merry di malam hari, merusak tembok kamarnya sendiri, membuat luka-luka di tubuhnya.... Sampai orang-orang dewasa yakin bahwa ia kerasukan dan pada akhirnya sepakat melakukan eksorsisme. Bapa Wanderly mengenalkan kisah kerasukan Marjorie itu pada kru film dokumenter, yang lalu menjadikan keluarga itu sebagai tokoh reality show berjudul The Possession. Sang ibu awalnya tak menyetujui eksorsisme dan syuting film itu, tapi akhirnya setuju karena hanya dengan itulah keluarga yang sedang bangkrut itu bisa mendapat banyak uang dalam waktu singkat.

Lima belas tahun kemudian, Merry bersedia diwawancarai oleh Rachel tentang kisah kakaknya. Dari situ, apa yang sebenarnya terjadi di antara proses syuting episode terakhir The Possession dengan peristiwa tragis tewasnya keluarga itu--kecuali Merry--terungkap.

***

Kau yakin, Stephen King? Menurutku dia melebih-lebihkan. Aku terus membaca buku ini sampai akhir, awalnya karena berniat menegasikan testimoni itu. Bagian awal memang terasa datar, meski ada ketegangan-ketegangan minor--misalnya adegan Marjorie menyelinap ke kamar Merry (mungkin akan lebih menegangkan kalau aku menonton versi filmnya--kalaupun bakal difilmkan). Namun sejak hari eksorsisme Marjorie, cerita memang jadi menarik dan menegangkan. Bahkan aku mendapat satu adegan mengerikan (yang kuharapkan telah kudapat sejak awal, terima kasih, Paul), yaitu saat eksorsisme berlangsung, Marjorie menggigit tangan Bapa Gavin sampai kewer-kewer dan akhirnya cuil. Deskripsinya cukup membuat aku ngilu. 

Ini kisah tentang kakak-beradik. Hubungan antartokoh yang dieksplorasi paling dalam oleh penulis adalah hubungan antara Merry dan Marjorie. Meski sering kesal terhadap Marjorie, Merry tak bisa berbohong bahwa ia sebenarnya mengidolakan kakaknya. Mereka berdua punya kebiasaan unik, yaitu menciptakan cerita-cerita sampingan, misalnya dari buku cerita bergambar favorit Merry, Cars and Trucks and Things That Go karya Richard Scarry. Mereka akan menggambar coretan-coretan kisah mereka sendiri di bagian-bagian yang kosong pada halaman buku. Hm, sebenarnya yang gemar menciptakan cerita adalah Marjorie, sih. Tapi kalau tak ada Merry yang amat menggemari cerita-cerita karangan kakaknya, cerita Marjorie itu tak akan hidup. 

Nah, ada dua cerita karangan Marjorie yang paling berkesan, yaitu tentang "yang tumbuh"--seperti pohon kacang dalam ceria Jack dan Kacang Ajaib yang tumbuh dengan cepat menjadi raksasa dan menerjang apa saja saat tumbuh, termasuk menyebabkan terbunuhnya ibu mereka. Cerita yang kedua adalah tentang bencana banjir molasses--sirup gula warna cokelat gelap nan kental dan lengket. Cerita karangan Marjorie ini tidak benar-benar karangan, karena memang benar-benar pernah terjadi, yaitu di Boston pada tahun 1919. 

Kukira ini akan jadi kisah "kakak-beradik melawan dunia."; untuk meloloskan diri dari ayah dan ibu mereka yang sering tidak cocok dan masing-masing punya kegelisahan dalam kepala mereka. Juga dari Bapa Wanderly, kru film, psikiater.... 

Makin lama, perilaku tokoh-tokoh dalam novel ini jadi membingungkan. Pertama, Marjorie. Apakah ia memang berpura-pura kerasukan, atau memang menderita penyakit mental, atau ia berpura-pura bahwa ia pura-pura kerasukan karena ia memang kerasukan? Kedua, sang ayah. Suasana hatinya sering berubah-ubah, ada yang hingga taraf aku mengira bahwa sebenarnya yang gila bukan Marjorie, melainkan ayahnya. Namun, perilaku mereka inilah yang menarik. Mereka menstimulasi rasa penasaranku sehingga aku mulai berspekulasi....

Dalam novel ini, aku menangkap adanya isu pertentangan antara ilmu pengetahuan dan takhayul (diwujudkan dalam pertentangan pihak ibu dan pihak ayah). Keyakinan bahwa Marjorie kerasukan roh jahat mungkin menghalangi anak itu mendapatkan perawatan medis yang benar dan hal ini bisa berakibat fatal (jika sesungguhnya tingkah anehnya itu merupakan gejala psikosis alih-alih "kerasukan"). Dugaan ini tak hanya dilontarkan olehku, ternyata (kalau penasaran, coba deh, baca ini).

Bagian favoritku adalah artikel ulasan reality show The Possession dari blog Karen Brissette, yang diletakkan di tiap awal bagian. Ah, Karen Brissette ini nama yang Paul pinjam dari orang sungguhan. Di sini, Paul mewawancarai Karen yang sungguhan. Ngomong-ngomong, novel ini terdiri dari tiga bagian. Bagian Satu: Rachel memulai wawancara dengan Merry di masa sekarang. Lalu cerita Merry membawa kita ke masa lalu, saat dia masih delapan tahun dan kakaknya, Marjorie 14 tahun. Bagian dua: Merry menceritakan proses syuting The Possession sampai proses eksorsisme oleh Bapa Wanderly (dibantu Bapa Gavin) terhadap Marjorie. Bagian tiga: Merry menceritakan apa yang sebenarnya terjadi di antara episode terakhir The Possession (Marjorie melompat dari balkon) sampai kemudian ayah-ibu-Marjorie mati di dalam rumah mereka. Karen sangat kritis dalam mengulas tayangan itu, terlebih terhadap unsur-unsur misoginisme yang ditampilkan. Di dunia nyata masa kini pun masih banyak unsur misoginis dalam tayangan/pemberitaan di berbagai media.

Novel ini tidak terlalu menakutkan, sih, tapi bagian akhirnya membingungkan dan membuatku berpikir. Jadi, Marjorie benar-benar berpura-pura sakit, atau memang dia "sakit" (dugaanku sih, skizofrenia) dan pengakuannya pada Merry adalah bagian dari ketidakwarasannya, jadi tak bisa sepenuhnya dipercaya, atau dia memang sakit dan sekaligus berpura-pura untuk membuatnya hiperbolis dan dramatis? Atau, malah jangan-jangan Merry bukanlah narator yang bisa diandalkan seperti ekspektasiku semula? Aku jadi ingat tokoh utama dalam The Girl on the Train.  Twist-nya tidak meledak-ledak, tapi bikin aku terdiam. Bingung. Agak merinding. Bukan karena iblis atau roh jahat, melainkan karena kemungkinan-kemungkinan.... Apa yang terjadi sebenarnya? Halaman tanya-jawab pembaca dengan Paul Tremblay di laman Goodreads ini sungguh menarik, beberapa mewakili pertanyaanku.[]

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[Review of GONE GIRL the Novel] The Matter of Point of View

synopsis

Who is Amy? (What is my wife thinking?)
(Nick, p. 82)

On the day of their 5^th anniversary, Nick Dunne lost his wife. Amy Elliott Dunne was gone, leaving their house looking like a staged crime scene. Nick’s lack of alibi, his lies toward the cops and the public, and the clues that seemed to point toward him, soon made his image negative. Like one of the cliches found in movies, when the wife was gone or found dead, the closest one was likely the suspect. Who else if not the husband, then?

So, Nick, did you kill your wife?

characters

A friend told me that she dislike this book because all the main characters suck. Yeah, they did. But, in my opinion, it’s just not fair if we hate a book because we hate the characters (I sometimes did it too, but only if the characters suck and the background of their characters are not logical. A good example of this kind of books is Dari Kirara untuk Seekor Gagak. You can find out why I dislike this book so much on my review here.). I like how the author made “alive” her characters, especially Nick and Amy, and how she elaborated the background of them. All the bumps in their marriage, the problem in each of their family, they seemed real.

—AMY—

It’s strange how little I own in this world when I used to own so much.
(Amy, p. 340)

As one of the main characters, we gotta know that there are three versions of Amy’s character: the one as seen on Nick’s eyes, another one as read from her writings on her diary, and the last one as read from the real her. This book consists of three parts: Part 1 – Boy Loses Girl, Part 2 – Boy Meets Girl, Part 3 – Boy Gets Girl Back (Or Vice Versa), and the real Amy began to take over the story telling since Part 2. While, in Part 1 we only know Amy through her diary and Nick’s point of view.

Amy’s diary showed us how her lovely love life with Nick since their first meeting until the earlier period of their marriage. And gradually Nick became distant and abusive, especially after he lost his job as a magazine writer. Poor them, Amy also lost her job as a quiz writer on a magazine. Considering their jobless-state-of-financial and Nick's mother’s dying because of cancer, Nick decided to move to his hometown, Missouri. Amy, who was born and grew in New York City, didn’t like this idea. But she tried to be cooperative. Even she kept trying to be good wife for him and lovely daughter-in-law for Maureen and Bill Dunne. Oh, poor Amy.

Moreover, Amy then gave up all her saving since her parents borrowed huge part of it and she gave the rest to Nick to buy a bar which was later run by him and his sister, Go. Her parents, who were the successful and famous writers of famous children book series Amazing Amy, were slow to realize that they were in financial problem since the book sale sank deeply and they stuck in their old high-class lifestyle.

And then, we know that Amy grew up as a girl who wasn’t considered as a child by her parents since they have their own ideal version of her which was written as Amy in Amazing Amy. She then became a vengeful, manipulative, yet smart and beautiful girl who try to be a Cool Girl.

—NICK—

...because at this point of our marriage, I was so used to being angry with her, it felt almost enjoyable, like gnawing on a cuticle: You know you should stop, that it doesn’t really feel as good as you think, but you can’t quit grinding away.
(Nick, p. 121)

(I love the analogy “gnawing on a cuticle” cos gnawing on cuticle is one of my hobby and it really is like what Nick had said. It is very addictive! 😂)

His character flawed by his trauma as a child who had experienced relationship problem with his mysoginistic and abusive father. His parents then had got divorced. Later, his father faded into dementia. Despite the horrible memory about his father, Nick did believe that he could be a good father for his own child... later.

Nick was easy to forget things, and this sometimes got Amy’s nerve. Nick also was not wise enough to show a right image to the public so they didn’t become to hate him. We, the reader, like the public in this book, somehow wished that he was not the suspect of Amy’s disappearing. But, then we know that the clues analysed by the cops and the media pointed toward him as a suspect. Moreover after Andie, his mistress, showed up and Amy’s diary was found.

He was also the kind of man who was easy to be touched at heart. When he started reading the clues Amy gave for the treasure hunt after she was gone (it was Amy who first had the idea to do treasure hunt to celebrate their wedding anniversary. This hunt should be end once Nick finished solving all the clues and reached to his anniversary gift but it often ended when Nick gave up trying to solve the clues.), Nick really felt that somehow he fell in love again with her wife.

points of view

Love makes you want to be a better man—right, right. But maybe love, real love, also gives you permission to just be the man you are.
(Nick, p. 170)

For me, it’s always interesting to read a story from more than one points of view. It makes the story clearer and more intriguing. A story of just one point of view is often flat. But, in the case of thriller fiction, telling the story from just one point of view or holding the other before the time comes could help it become more mysterious. The two sides to the story of this book, from Nick’s and Amy’s point of view, did present twists and even twist of twist.

If we glance at their points of view, at first they might look alike. But, after walking from chapter to chapter which are alternated between Nick’s and Amy’s point of view, we might feel that the two do have their own style and voice. For example, Nick’s style is more unadorned than Amy’s.

Amy liked to use quizzes in her narrative, like the one we found on p. 28–29:

I didn’t break my stride, just turned to him and said:

a)    ‘Do I know you?’ (manipulative, challenging)

b)   ‘Oh, wow, I’m so happy to see you!’ (eager, doormatlike)

c)    ‘Go fuck yourself.’ (aggresive, bitter)

d)   ‘Well, you certainly take your time about it, don’t you, Nick?’ (light, playful, laid-back)

Answer: D

From her quizzes, I can read that she was skilled at choosing the right act that would bring her expected reaction from the person she acted on. She had a knack of “putting on a show”. Amy used present tense to tell her story since Part 2 and afterward. While Nick, he kept using past tense.

such a wittyly humorous thriller

I always love shorter chapter in fiction, especially with the genre of thriller (mystery, suspense, crime, yeah, thriller and its friends) cos it help build the suspense. But I don’t really love very-short-chapter style like I found in Salt to the Sea cos it averted me to know each character deeper. In the other side, I also can stand a kind of book without chapter, like The Circle, because I had been carried away by the story.

In the case of Gone Girl, I love how the author kept the chapter short but doesn't averted me to know more about the character. But, I’d just begun to be carried away by the story once I entered the Part 2. The actions and character's mind-exploring had balance portion in this story. So, it’s not the kind of thriller that made me drenched in sweat and panting and screaming in my mind while reading it. No, it’s a thriller with a poise tone; it also had witty tone. Wittily humorous. For example,

Then maybe we’ll have sex again. And a late-night burger. And more Scotch. Voilà: happiest couple on the block! And they say marriage is such hard work.
(Amy on her diary, p. 46)

Gone Girl made me wondering, did of all this time people around me and I myself do much pretendings? It’s really horrifying if in our interaction actually each of us is wearing a mask. Nah, even I’m not be the real me to myself sometimes. Gone Girl also made me realise that it’s not impossible that in real marriage life such complex issues do happen.

Shit, Amy, I wish I can be as smart, persistent, cool, and horrible as you. Badass bitch!

No relationship is perfect, they say—they, who make do with dutiful sex and gassy bedtime rituals, who settle for TV as conversation, who believe that husbandly capitulation—yes, honey, okay, honey—is the same as concord. He’s doing what you tell him to do because he doesn’t care enough to argue, I think.
(Amy on her diary, p. 32)

my rating

book identity

Title: Gone Girl

Author: Gillian Flynn

Published by: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Published year: 2013 (paperback edition)

Number of page: 466 pages

ISBN: 978-1-780-22135-9

Price: UK £7.99

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