Novel Review

Novel Review - Perahu Kertas
By Mardhatillah

Book Title      : Perahu Kertas

Author           : Dewi Lestari “Dee”

Publisher        : Bentang Pustaka and Truedee Pustaka Sejati

Editor             : Hermawan Aksan

Distributor     : Mizan Media Utama

Pages              : 444 pages

Size                 : 20 cm x 13,5 cm

Release date    : August 2009

ISBN              : 978-979-1227-78-0

Price                : Rp 69.000,-

Language        : Indonesia
Genre              : Romance

I absolutely love this novel entitle Perahu Kertas. It is an Indonesian novel which is written by Dewi Lestari Dee. The manuscript of this novel is written in 1996 and was dead for 11 years. However, this novel can be finished in 55 days because of perseverance of a writer. Perahu Kertas is the sixth book of Dee after Rectooverso, Madre, both of the books are the collection of short story and the success of trilogy Supernova. At the first time, I think this novel just will tell about the love story of teenager. That is why, I do not really excited to read this novel. However, apparently after reading this one, it slowly evolved into an interesting novel and more complicated story than I thought. This novel tells the story of a teenager towards the process of maturity which starting from Kugy and Keenan big dream, a complex relationship between them, Kugy and Noni friendship, Keenan problems with his father, Kugy teaching in Alit school, continue with Keenan-Luhde and Kugy-Remi relationship.

Perahu Kertas talks about two adolescent named Kugy and Keenan who love each other by passing some complicated events in their life. Dubbed as one of the strangest person on earth, Kugy instantly feels a weird and strong connection with Keenan, whom she picked up from the train station with his cousin and the cousin's girlfriend. Affair between Kugy and Keenan as indeed destiny, both of them are dreamers. Together, both of them are in a long way towards realizing their dreams. Time by time ,the friendship between Kugy and Keenan is slowly wide apart, they are living with their own lives. The feeling that had seemed unattainable grow back, just like their dreams.

The story begins with Keenan who is an intelligent, artistic, and full of surprise person. He recently graduated from high school, who for six years living in Amsterdam with his grandmother. Keenan has the talent in painting and he did not have goals other than becoming a painter, but the deal with his father insisted he left Amsterdam and returned to Indonesia to continue his study in a university. Finally, Keenan is received in college, in the Faculty of Economics Bandung.

On the other hand, Kugy is an unique girl who is cheerful, cute but messy. She does not really think about her appearance, she is a girl who likes to fantasize and imagine something. She has a dream to be a fairy tale writer. Since childhood, Kugy really like a fairy tale. Not only has the collections and libraries, she also enjoys writing stories. Her goal is, she want to become an interpreters tale, but Kugy consideres that fairy tale writer is not aware to be a profession which received a convincing and easy environment. Do not want to escape from the world of writing, Kugy continued her studies at the Faculty of Letters.

Kugy graduated early and immediately decided to look for a job, she got a good job at an advertising production. There Kugy meet with her boss, he is Remi a handsome man which friendly and kind. While Keenan went to Bali to add insights on art and continue working. In Bali Keenan met a gracefully  girl named Luhde. Both of Kugy and Keenan has found their love, but their feeling can not lie.

Between Kugy and Keenan now facing a lot of problems which makes it all seemed impossible. Maybe, painting and fairy tales was never meant to be together. They are cannot express their true feelings to anyone, Kugy Writing a letter to sent to the Neptunus. Hoping the Neptunus would hear her screams were never spoken. The only thing that she remains is writing just the Perahu Kertas which floats in the river. Kugy even feel the letters that make her able to survive sane and strong. Her Story to the Neptunus whether there is or not. It is not a big problem for kugy, the most important thing she could breathe when she see Perahu Kertas floats. Now Kugy and Keenan face the complicated life which full of mystery and obstacles. Will Kugy and Keenan’s strong connection called “radar” work each other? Will a fairy tale writer unite with a painter ? Will Kugy and Keenan are born to be a couple or not?

This novel makes me want to read it again and again. The greatest thing of this novel to me is Dee style in writing was the one who managed to make everything be wonderful, sweet, and touching. The language that is used was very poetic, the story that mellow bring me away to the inside of the story. The other side which make me like this book the character of Remi or Remigius Aditya. Although he has appeared in the middle of the story, I felt the character of Remi is more steady, principled, determined, as well as fun. Moreover, the expressions of his love for Kugy think really feels genuine. Besides, the deficiencies of this novel are the readers tend to can guess the ending of the story, less challenging in terms of romance. The story is too much setting place so readers can get confused in understanding it. In some part of the novel, the story is convoluted that arise in boredom of readers. However, the rest of this novel is very interesting.

Perahu Kertas is a wonderful novel of Dee with an interesting storyline. We can learn from this novel that Heart is not to choose love, but it is chosen by love. Each heart can only re-surrender in love with a flowing stream somewhere. Like a paper boat that washed away in the trenches, in the pond, in the river, but it always comes down in the same place. I recommend for teenagers and adolescent to read this novel although the story is sometimes bitter, hurt, and doubt. However, this story is fulled with idealism, friendship, funny, tears, happiness, sadness, affection and love. This is one of the worthy novels I have ever read.