Tittle : Hujan
Author :
Tere Liye
Page : 320 pages
Publisher : PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Hujan is one of
novel from Tere Liye, as we know Tere Liye is one of famous author in
Indonesia. She has been wrote so many novels with different genres.
This novel
recites about a girl (Lail) who comes to Nerve Center Hospital to erases her
memory about rain. This novel tells about our life in (2042-2050) when
technology has developed very advance. In this era there are cars which can
fly, tablets which very thin (as thin as HVS paper), communication devices
implanted in our hands, taxi which there is no driver (it can be drive by
itself). When Lail 13 years old a big disaster happened, an old volcano erupt
and it causing an earthquake measuring 10 on the richter scale and tsunami.
When the disaster strikes Lail and her mother are in subway it’s her first day
school. Lail, her mom, and the other victims run towards to the emergency
stairs. As they were climbing the stairs, there was an aftershock. Her mother
fall, and died. Fortunately, there is a boy 15 years old who catches Lail’s bag
and lifted upward her body. The boy introduces his name, Esok.
Esok experiencing similar thing with Lail, he has 4 brother and it’s their
first time school too, but now they are died. They walk very far to Esok’s
house, they hope Esok’s mother still alive. When they arrived, the condition of his
house already collapse, but his mother still alive. They bring his mother to
the hospital, unfortunately both her legs has to be amputated. Lail and Esok
have to living in camps. In the camps they help the marines and volunteers,
they live in the camps for several months, when the condition of the city is
getting well, Esok has to be adopted by the Mayor and they should be separated
because Lail also has to live in the Social Homes. In the Social Homes, Lail
gets a roommate who very unique, she has frizzy hair, she is very cheerful, her
name is Mariam. Esok and Lail are busy
with their own affairs, they just meet once in a month. In each meeting Esok
always brings Lail to the emergency stair’s hole by his red’s bicycle, there
are a lot of memories for them. Several years later, Esok has to move to the
capital city, as he is accepted into one of the top university there. It means
they can’t meet once a month, they can only meet once a year. The climate
changes, the temperature in almost all over the world always decrease. Lail and
Mariam become volunteers, beside of to helping people Lail becomes a volunteer
also to forget about Esok who never contacts her. Several years later, Lail
gets information that Esok will be graduated from his collage. Lail and Mariam
going to the capital city to attend Esok’s graduation, but Lail feels upset
when he goes there instead Esok ignores her. The next day Lail decided to go
back home, but Esok already in train station to say sorry for ignored her in
his graduation’s day. Lail and Mariam graduate from their school, and they
decided to enter Nursing School. They are being good students there, they
always get good marks and they managed to graduate from nursing school. Esok become
a popular scientist and it makes them really hard to meet. One day, Esok meets
Lail and tell them about what exactly happened with the earth. He told that the
temperature in the earth will be always increase and it can be burn us, scientists
includes him have been made 4 planes to go to the space. But each plane only
carry 10.000 passengers. Esok has 2 tickets for it, but he doesn’t tell Lail
who will get 1 ticket which Esok has. The mayor asks Lail to give her ticket
that probably Esok’s gives to her , He asks Lail to give it for his daughter,
Claudia. Lail doesn't know what she has to say. The next day, the Mayor thanks to her, he
thought that Lail gives her ticket for Claudia. Even Esok doesn’t tell anything
about ticket, Lail really upset and jealous she thought that Esok and Claudia
left her by that plane. Lail goes to the Nerve Center Hospital to erases her
sad memories include memory about Esok. Mariam has been tried to stop her, but
she ignores it. Mariam calls Esok and tells him about it, Esok doesn’t know
what exactly happened and he tells that he gives the tickets for Claudia and
her Mother. Esok goes to the hospital immediately to stop Lail, he managed to
stop Lail and tells the truth about it. Several times later Lail and Esok get married.
***
This novel is
really attractive. Honestly, when I first read this novel I get bored for I
thought this story only about 2 children who survived from disaster and they
will become siblings. But I was wrong, this novel is not only about it. This novel tells the story of love,
friendship, loyalty, and sacrifice. I really like the part when Mariam and
Lail have to run for about 50km to inform one of village that the dams will
collapse soon and ask the people there to move to the safer place, how can two
teenagers do that? Even they don’t think
about their safety. This novel is educated enough. Why I can say that? Because
there are some parts which tell about how climate can be change because of
human actions, and the impacts of disaster. This novel also teaches us to not
give up even in the worse condition, we have to face it and keep going. So, I
recommend you to read this novel, I guarantee that this novel is different than
the others.
