If my initial interaction with Novel 2007, then the beginning of my interaction with Book It happened around 1998. Approximately twenty-seven years ago, I was still a second-year junior high school student. I still remember the time at the house of a close friend whose older sister was a novel enthusiast. This is where my reading journey began.
My classmates and colleagues and I used to sleep together, eat, and sleep together. Future plans were always a topic of discussion before we went to bed. My friend once said, "When I graduate from junior high school, I want to go to Malaysia. Work there. When I have enough money, I'll go back to my hometown and buy something." RX King.” That's what he always said, there was never any intention He wanted to change or replace his ideals. Even though I tried to persuade him, it didn't work.
My best friend used to live with her grandmother, but her older sister had to leave her for Saudi Arabia. She worked as a migrant worker (TKI/TKW) to seek her fortune and change her life. So, the positive thing her older sister left behind was the light books and novels neatly lined up on a wooden cabinet right next to the Panasonic TV.
I still remember that moment, my rebellious soul then forced my fingers to reach for one of the several novels neatly lined up in the closet. I don't remember the exact title, but the cover showed a man standing at a car door and a woman standing at the gate of her house. It seemed like the woman was seeing the man off.
Curious, I began to flip through the pages of the novel one by one and began reading from the first paragraph. It was beautiful. diction (word choice) author. Occasionally I jump from one page to the next.
Until a paragraph that made my reading adrenaline jump a bit, because the phrases in several sentences gradually became less healthy and beautiful, or something like that. 'vulgar' It was unnatural to digest. Due to my impulsiveness, I then forced the novel to close, ending my reading adventure.
I paused for a moment, frowning, forcing my mind to contemplate the language I'd just read. Is that really what a novel is all about? I murmured, paradoxically. The beautiful diction at the beginning suddenly became asymmetrical and ambiguous. The language structure implied mental unease. It shattered my sanity.
In essence, it creates a kind of anxiety that leads to inner unrest. Beautiful writing is like an addiction that traps the reader in a state of imaginative uncertainty. Fiction, both poetic and brutal. An arbitrary affair of language. In short, it weakens faith.
I don't know, maybe it was because this was the first time my eyes had been trapped and trapped in the world of reading. I concluded that reading novels was unhealthy, especially at my unstable age. In other words, reading novels was "forbidden" for teenagers. Even for adults.
So that's a brief history of my introduction to a book (a novel). My first interaction was memorable, but ultimately fragile. But what I'm grateful for is my best friend. Because in her house, the house where we often chatted, spent time playing, taking a break from stress, and sometimes discussing the chaotic future, it was from this place that I first interacted with the world of reading.
Long story short, after graduating from junior high school, I continued my education at a boarding school (pesantren). There, positive habits began to form. My rebellious spirit was restrained by various forced activities. Forced to study, forced to memorize, forced to read, forced to visit the library, and various activities that built my soul and kept me away from useless pursuits.
More or less like adage "It is better to be forced to go to heaven than to be willing to go to hell" means more or less like this, to do something good you have to be forced first, rather than being allowed not to do good (sincerity) instead it will plunge you into evil.
Long story short, that's the reason why I wasn't interested in reading a novel like 'trouma' with some of the phrases I read at that time.
Back to the discussion 'Paragraphs of love' As explained in part one, the bookstore owner then reprimanded me just as I was about to pick up the novel 'When Love Recites the Rosary'. "Have you read this novel, sir?" he said, showing me 'Verses of Love'. "Not yet, sir," I replied, curiously. "Sir, you should have read this novel before reading 'When Love Recites the Rosary'," he said reassuringly.
"This is an Islamic novel, sir. It's a soul-building novel. It's very good. I guarantee you'll be interested in reading it. The author is Habiburrahman El-Syirazy from Indonesia. I've read it twice and it brought me to tears. The story is beautiful, just like the real world," the shop owner said with great conviction. And I was quite persuaded.
"Are there really Islamic novels? Or soul-building novels, sir?" I asked back. "Yes, sir. This is Ayat-ayat Cinta. It's an Islamic novel, sir. Not your average novel like the old ones. They're not educational." The shop owner reassured me again.
"Okay sir, I bought the novel Ayat-ayat Cinta, which is hardcover. I also bought When Love Rises." Finally, after haggling over the price, I bought and took home the two soul-building novels.
The next story continues in the third part.
