Hades by Aishah Zainal

I rarely see Hades on my timeline, so discovering it felt like a rare find. For a debut, I think the author did a remarkable job. I personally love her writing style. It feels raw and unfiltered while vividly portraying the underworld of people living below the poverty line in urban areas. Both main characters are antiheroes whose lives revolve around survival and a fragile sense of balance.

Ken, at sixteen, is raised by his single mother who struggles with drug addiction. They move from place to place like nomads while trying to escape the shadow of his abusive father. The violence he experienced left deep trauma for both of them. Maryam, meanwhile, is an underage young mother who relies on her aunt for support. Her own parents fail to provide the care and guidance she needs.

Ken and Maryam are neighbours and attend the same school. Their relationship begins with constant arguments and endless confrontations. Misfortune follows them relentlessly. Their poverty and hardship often become the easiest explanations for their cruelty and harsh behaviour. Anger, blame, suppressed morality, and the quiet resentment toward their circumstances shape their daily struggle to survive. This harsh reality feels exhausting and overwhelming, yet the author captures it very well.

The enemies to friends trope may sound predictable, but in this novel it unfolds in a subtle and metaphorical way. It is no surprise that Hades was longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award in 2024.

Perempuan Busana Merah by Ramlee Awang Murshid

Secara jujurnya, struktur penceritaan yang menggunakan reverse chronology rumit dan bercampur baur bagi saya. Dan saya tak berapa minat sebab saya dah terlalu menghayati cerita di awalnya. 😂😂 Macam tu saja saya tertipu dengan tulisan RAM kali ini. Memang lain dari yang lain, namun masih mengekalkan elemen thriller dan misteri yang menjadi identitinya. Tajuk itu sendiri dah berjaya mengaburi mata saya. 

Cuma ada beberapa perkara kecil yang saya rasa terganggu seperti typo dan penggunaan perkataan yang jarang diguna untuk bahasa sehari-hari. Saya rasa RAM sangat berani mengetengahkan tema permainan online memandangkan rata-rata pembaca tegar RAM sebaya dengan saya. Tapi mungkin ini cara dia menarik minat pembaca muda dan saya menghargai usahanya untuk keluar daripada zon selesa. Apa-apa pun saya lebih suka RAM yang konvensional. Maaf. 

Susah saya nak memberi ulasan sebab bahagian yang penting cuma prolog dan epilognya saja. 😂. Yang lain-lain adalah perencah memanjangkan perjalanan naratif, namun tetap berfungsi dalam membina suasana. Mungkin bagi pembaca lain, pendekatan ini terasa segar dan menarik, tetapi bagi saya, saya masih setia kepada gaya RAM yang dulu. What say you? 

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The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Celia Bowen is born with an innate ability and grows up moving through a series of theaters under the watchful eye of her father. He pushes her to earn money as a spiritual medium, despite her dislike, insisting she needs the practice for a greater challenge ahead. It is not a contest of skill but of endurance, one that binds her for nearly thirty years.

Her opponent, Marco Alisdair, is trained in secrecy. Like Celia, he masters manipulation and illusion, yet he must remain hidden. Years of preparation shape his life, but when he finally encounters Celia, certainty gives way to nerves and confusion. Both are groomed for a clandestine game, Celia performing in public while Marco works from the shadows. Everything proceeds according to plan until they begin to fall for one another.

At the center of their rivalry stands a mysterious circus that opens only at night and vanishes by dawn. With its black and white tents and dreamlike atmosphere, the circus travels from place to place, enchanting devoted visitors who long for it once it disappears. Even its performers sense secrets lingering beneath the spectacle.

Chosen as part of the circus, Celia must prove her strength and outshine her rival. Yet over time, she and the other performers begin to feel bound to something that demands sacrifice. The novel is richly magical, with breathtaking world building and lyrical prose. As someone who prefers fast thrillers, I found the pacing slow but pleasantly so. The ending feels simple yet fitting, closing the story with quiet inevitability. 4.5⭐

Selamat Pulang, Bayang by Husna Rosli

Dalili ialah seorang pelajar kolej yang baik, malah terlalu baik hingga dipulau oleh rakan sekampus selepas dia mempertahankan seorang pelajar lain daripada dibuli. Malangnya, pembuli tersebut datang daripada kelompok yang berkuasa dan berduit, membuatkan kebenaran mudah diselindungkan. Dari sinilah Dalili pula menjadi sasaran, dan perjalanan emosinya mula bergerak ke arah yang lebih gelap sebelum cerita beralih kepada babak fantasi.

Di alam Antara, Dalili bertemu Bayang, sosok yang membawanya memahami sisi lain kehidupan termasuk latar belakang para pembuli yang rupanya pernah menjadi mangsa buli dalam keluarga sendiri. Kemunculan entiti Anon yang kejam menambah dimensi tentang dendam dan pilihan moral, menjadikan konflik lebih simbolik daripada sekadar realiti.

Sejujurnya sukar untuk saya memberi ulasan tanpa bersikap terus terang. Saya sangat menghargai temanya kerana isu buli bukan perkara remeh. Ia ibarat barah sosial yang sering berpunca daripada persekitaran kita membesar dan cara seseorang bangkit daripadanya. Watak Dalili mungkin tampak naif dan rapuh pada awalnya, namun akhirnya dia mampu memulihkan keyakinan sendiri.

Walaupun pengakhiran untuk si pembuli terasa kurang memuaskan, saya menerima bahawa keputusan tersebut sepenuhnya milik penulis. Kalau dilihat dari review Goodreads mungkin pembaca terganggu dengan cara penceritaan yang show and tell tanpa mengasak pembaca untuk berfikir serta pembinaan watak yang agak dua dimensi. Namun apa yang saya suka ialah bagaimana Dalili boleh berdamai dengan Bayang dan menyedari Bayang akan selalu ada bersama dengannya. Saya rasa itu amat menggambarkan sifat Bayang secara harfiah.