The First Review

I realize this is a rather unique situation. Here I am, writing a journal of my creative process, of a book that cannot be immediately read and enjoyed by all of you who have visited this blog, and knew about its process inside out. You do not know the book yet, and yet you know the insight story of its birth.

Writing a synopsis is the best that I can offer for now. I hope you’re all willing to accept this small gift.

There aren’t many people who directly witness this ‘creative birth’ process as well. Only those who live in the same house with me, the three girls that were my neighbors in kos-kosan, and a few friends that somehow affected by this writing project (karena antara lain saya jadi menghilang, buronan segala pekerjaan yang tertunda, dsb).

I can start my thank list now, but I’m afraid it will be too long and somewhat immature. Daftar itu sepertinya masih akan berkembang. Nevertheless, I thank Kib Roby and his wife Diah, also my dosen back in Unpar, Pak Nyoman, for the Bali/Balinese information. I thank Mulki for his precious info and photos on Ranca Buaya, which I had to pick up very late at night. I thank my lil’ sis, Dede, yang sudah berbaik hati ngeprint draft. I thank Ogin, Teh Enny, Berna, who had taken care of me and made all this process possible. And the list goes on and on… tidak akan saya lengkapi sekarang… but, I am forever in debt and grateful for the support from my producer/dearest friend/soul mirror, Reza, who had shown his deep passion and enthusiasm towards this project from day one (he was the one who gave me the Steve Manning e-book, btw). His geeky and systematic nature had helped a lot to map out my frantic scheduling. His presence has been such a profound healing and delightful refreshment throughout this magical and occasional hellish journey.

And since he’s the only one who has read the draft from page one till finish (I haven’t even finished it! Shame on me!), and probably the only “Perahu Kertas” reader I have from today till six months later, his feedback is the only review and endorsement that I have for now (yang kebetulan sudah tercicip nuansa pengamat sastranya, hehe). Tak lengkap rasanya jika menuliskan sinopsis tanpa ada komentar umpan balik. Sinopsis bagi saya hanyalah cerita terkondens, tapi impresi yang ditangkap pembacalah yang menjadikannya hidup. So, demi melengkapkan siklus tersebut, saya akan tampilkan komentar Reza berikut ini (taken from his comment on my previous posting):

“Atas nama objektivitas, saya harus mengakui betapa sulitnya menjadi produser informal, sahabat dekat penulis sekaligus pembaca pertama Perahu Kertas dan sekaligus berusaha memberikan sudut pandang yang jernih.

Tertawa terpingkal-pingkal, haru, bercermin ke dalam, sedih, gemas, momen ‘bohlam menyala’ serta ketulusan yang tidak dibuat-buat. Barangkali hanya spektrum rasa diatas berbalut kekaguman mendalam yang bisa saya ungkapkan tentang tulisan ini.

Sebuah kisah cinta yang sepintas terlihat sederhana dan populer dihadirkan dengan detil-detil dan alur cerita yang khas Dee: mengejutkan, mengharukan, dan menggiring saya untuk tak bisa berhenti membaca. Dan di tengah-tengah momen emosional antara berbagai karakter yang terasa sekali pematangannya, penulis tiba-tiba menghantam sisi filosofis saya tentang cinta, kejujuran, menjadi diri sejati.

Di akhir cerita, saya mendapatkan diri sendiri, berlinang air mata, entah bersyukur, entah kagum, atau karena tidak menyangka bahwa saya bisa tersentuh begitu mendalam lewat cara pengungkapan yang begitu ringan.”


Mudah-mudahan review sekaligus sinopsis yang sudah saya muat di sini mampu melengkapkan perjalanan awal "Perahu Kertas". Sekali lagi, terima kasih untuk segala dukungan, kunjungan, dan doanya.

Pic #1: Me and Reza, celebrating “Perahu Kertas” birth over lunch at FJ, Darmawangsa Square.