Lelaki Januari by Hafizah Iszahanid

Delaila Azilah dan Ali Syukri berkahwin terlalu awal ketika belajar di Nottingham (bukan cawangan Semenyih). Tidak sampai beberapa bulan, rumah tangga mereka mula goyah akibat ketidakmatangan kedua-duanya, ditambah kemunculan orang ketiga. Laila melarikan diri ke New York dan menghilang selama 12 tahun. Saat dia cuba berdamai dengan masa lalu, Ali muncul kembali pada bulan Januari. Namun persoalan aku, apa relevannya tajuk Lelaki Januari itu dengan keseluruhan cerita? Ia seolah diletakkan untuk hiasan, bukan makna.

Satu lagi benda yang ketara ialah repetitive. Hampir setiap bab Laila meratib nama Ali, sampai rasa seperti wataknya tidak bergerak ke mana-mana. Ia menghakis emosi yang sepatutnya lebih mendalam dan menjadikan pembacaan sedikit melelahkan. Aku juga sengaja kekalkan nama Ali walaupun penulis menggunakan nama Syuk sebab aku tak gemar nama itu. 😂

Secara keseluruhan, novel ini lebih klise daripada jangkaan aku. Aku pilih kerana penulis, penerbit dan tajuknya yang menarik, tetapi akhirnya ia terasa seperti drama pukul 7 dengan rentetan kebetulan yang boleh dijangka. Mungkin expectation aku sendiri terlalu tinggi. Pun begitu, ada sisi informatif tentang Doctors Without Borders dan kerjaya penyelidik di UNESCO yang memberikan sedikit nafas segar. Sebagai tambahan ini sebenarnya terbitan semula naskhah daripada penerbit Jemari Seni (2014) dan pernah diadaptasi ke drama bersiri.

Circle of Days by Ken Follet

Circle of Days is set in 2500 BCE, where four distinct communities, the herders, farmers, woodlanders and the priestess, live across the Great Plain. At the heart of their world stands the Monument, a sacred gathering place where they come together every year for the Rite. People from many villages come to trade food, clothing, tools and livestock near the ring of timber pillars. The Monument is not just a holy place but a site of ritual, storytelling, feasts and sun worship. It preserves the community’s knowledge of the sky and anchors their way of life.

But harmony collapses when drought strikes. Desperation turns neighbours into enemies, violence replaces peace and the Monument burns. Priestess Joia becomes determined to rebuild it in stone, believing that pleasing the Sun God may restore order and secure her rise as High Priestess. The scale of the undertaking is immense. It takes more than two hundred people to move a single sarsen stone and the workforce is already stretched thin. Their struggle to keep the mission alive forms the core of the story.

I was excited when I picked up this book, but at times I felt disappointed. The portrayal of certain sexual orientations felt repetitive and exaggerated, which pulled me out of the narrative. At nearly seven hundred pages, the story explores the desperation of survival and the complexity of human nature, though I expected more from this author. Still, it is an easy read with a conversational style. It even left me wondering whether horses existed in that era at all. 😅

Mastura by A. Samad Ismail

Membaca koleksi cerpen Mastura karya A. Samad Ismail terasa seperti terseret masuk ke sebuah mesin masa yang penuh warna, getir dan humor halus. Setiap cerpen menangkap ragam manusia dengan begitu tepat. 

1. Belum Baik-Baik Lagi, menghiburkan dengan pasangan pengantin baru yang masih malu-malu hingga keluarga terpaksa campur tangan. 

2. Ke Rumah Cucu pula menyentuh hati tentang seorang pesara, Encik Murad sanggup menggunting rambut orang kampung demi tambang ke Penang demi kasih pada cucunya.

3. Pak Yak Mahu Kahwin pula mencuit hati dengan kisah lelaki lembut yang diejek jiran tetapi tetap memasang impian berumahtangga. 

4. Rumah Pak Haji Harun membawa kita menyaksikan ketabahan masyarakat ketika pendudukan Jepun. 

5. Mastura mengisahkan kegelisahan wanita 40-an yang bergelut dengan rindu pada masa mudanya dan mula meragui suami serta dirinya sendiri.

6. Kau Mesti Sunat, Kata Bapa mencuit nostalgia zaman kanak-kanak dan pantang-larang dulu yang hendak bersunat. 

7. Puthu menyentuh sisi kehidupan buruh pengutip sampah yang akhirnya berani memikirkan masa depan dan mungkin cinta. 

8. Dongeng menyorot tentang Ramlah yang berjaya menjadi guru walau keluarganya tidak meletakkan harapan tinggi, namun cintanya ditentang. 

9. Amelia pula memaparkan sisi pahit suami yang makan luar, tema malang ini masih relevan. 

10. Mandi Kolam menampilkan remaja dengan kolam yang tidak mahu dikongsi dengan jirannya yang lain.

Ini karya keenam ASI yang aku baca dan keseluruhan koleksi ini padat dengan humor, kritik sosial, dan renungan yang masih relevan. ASI membuktikan sekali lagi bahawa karya klasik tak pernah hilang bisanya. Terima kasih @bukufixi atas naskhah yang terbaik ini. 

I'll Make A Spectacle Of You by Beatrice Winifred Iker

For a debut novel, the author delivers a captivating piece of storytelling. The story begins with Zora Robinson, a student with a degree in African and African American Studies. Passionate about local history, conjure traditions, and highly skilled in defensive magic, Zora is determined to excel in her thesis project. Her advisor, Dr. Grant, sees her dedication and gives her a diary belonging to a librarian who once disappeared. The same eerie motif connects back to the childhood trauma that fractured Zora’s relationship with her sister.

People are drawn into the woods by strange cries echoing through the trees, sounds only they can hear. The tension in the woods made me feel genuinely uneasy. To Zora, this is not just fear but an opportunity to uncover untold stories and contribute something meaningful to the folklore she studies.

Her investigation leads her to The Keepers of the Beast, a secret society formed around 1877 by Bricksbury’s founders. The community, shaped by struggles involving education, class, and race, endured relentless white violence. To protect Bricksbury and Jonesborough’s Black population, they relied on both faith and Hoodoo magic. What began with foxes eventually escalated into something darker involving human sacrifice.

As Zora digs deeper, she uncovers the truth behind the students who have gone missing for years. Her mission becomes more than documenting history. She seeks justice for the victims who were never heard.

I rate this novel 4.5 stars. The plot, the atmosphere, and the ending all work together to bring the story to life. My only complaint is a minor technical detail, but overall, this book is gripping from start to finish.

The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith

At nearly 900 pages, The Hallmarked Man is a long but rewarding read. When I first picked it up, I didn’t even bother to read the blurb. Only later did I realize that Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym for J. K. Rowling, and this is the eighth book in the Cormoran Strike series. I’m grateful I gave it a chance and now I can’t wait for the ninth installment.

The story begins when Decima Mullins contacts the detective agency run by Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. She wants answers about a body discovered months earlier in the vault of a silver shop. The police believed it to be William Wright, who turned out to be using the false identity of a convicted armed robber named Jason Knowles. The police were unable to obtain DNA confirmation because the body had been heavily mutilated. But Decima is convinced the victim was her young lover, Rupert Fleetwood, who vanished at the same time.

Strike and Robin suspect the murder might be tied to a priceless collection of Masonic treasures recently purchased by the silver shop. The body’s ritualistic wounds and the hallmark engraved on its back suggest a symbolic and sinister motive.

As the investigation unfolds, Strike and Robin navigate a maze of false identities, possible suspects, and personal struggles. Strike, worn down by old enemies and unspoken feelings for Robin, struggles to stay focused. Meanwhile, Robin faces the lingering trauma of her last undercover case. Together, they make an extraordinary team, both flawed and deeply human yet utterly compelling.

Rowling’s storytelling is as sharp and immersive as ever. Her attention to detail, complex plotting, and emotional depth make this a standout read. Every question finds its answer by the end, leaving me completely satisfied and eager for what comes next. 5⭐