When I was senior high student, I read the first book of Dee (Dewi Lestari) entitled “Supernova: Ksatria, Puteri, dan Bintang Jatuh”. After reading that book, I knew I will fall in love with her and her books such as “Supernova: Akar”, “Supernova: Petir”, “Filosofi Kopi”, “Rectoverso”, and her newest book, “Perahu Kertas”.
Let me introduce to you the most unique book of Dee: Rectoverso (2008). Why unique? Because actually “Rectoverso” is not only a book with 11 short stories but also a CD with 11 beautiful songs. You may buy it separately, but it will be better if you enjoy it together. You will experience the new way to appreciate both fictions and songs.
Back to the book, there are 11 awesome short stories in “Rectoverso”. The themes of the short stories generally are still about love, but Dee gives other tastes of love like a friendship love, an unconditional love, and a forbidden love. Different with her recent books, Dee wrote “Rectoverso” with simple dictions—not as complicated as in Supernova Series. So, you won’t meet any difficulty to read this book.
Well, I have my own favorite short stories. They are “Curhat Buat Sahabat”, “Cicak di Dinding”, “Peluk”, “Grow a Day Older”, and “Tidur”. Here they are my responses to those stories:
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“Yang aku butuhkan adalah orang yang menyayangi aku... dan segelas air putih. Keinginan itu... tidak ketinggian, kan?”
(What I need are someone who loves me… and a glass of water.
It is not… too high, right?)
“Curhat Buat Sahabat” tells about a friendship between a guy and a girl. This long term relationship makes them know each other very well—or maybe the guy knows more about the girl. In his deepest heart, the guy loves her—even though the girl loves another guy that makes her sometimes happy or sad (page 6, paragraph 5).
One day, the girl realizes; she is tired for waiting her ‘prince charming’ (page 6, paragraph 1). Then, she decides to wait someone who can love her the way she is—that will come to her side when she needs, with a glass of water (page 6, paragraph 8).
This short story gives a value of friendship. The guy is symbolized as a loyal person that always available whenever his best friend, the girl, needs him.
Meanwhile, the girl symbolizes a person that does not too care to her best friend since she fell in love with the other guy. She also does not see and realize that the guy who is always on her side—is her ‘real prince charming’ with a glass of water when she got sick.
In this short story, Dee makes a comparison between a glass of wine and a glass of water. Wine is symbolized luxury—the ‘prince charming’ that the girl fell into five years ago. Meanwhile, a glass of water symbolizes a pure love that the guy always gives to the girl, even though she does not know it yet.
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“Kutitipkan mereka untuk menjaga kamu... mengagumi kamu.”
(I entrust them (the geckos) to watch you… to admire you)
First time I read the title, I thought “Cicak di Dinding” would tell about a child who really loves a song with the same title. But, yes, I made a mistake. After reading it, I conclude that this short story is the most romantic story in “Rectoverso”.
“Cicak di Dinding” tells about a guy who loves a girl that, unfortunately, is his best friend’s fiancée (page 86, paragraph 5). His best friend and the girl will get married soon. As a painter, the guy will give them a present—especially for the girl that really adores his art paintings (page 86, paragraph 1). He has a plan to draw an art painting in the small room in their future house with fluorescence. So, what kind of art painting that he will give to the lovely girl?
Dee succeeds to make a disgusting animal like gecko into an amazing animal that has a sense of romance. Gecko, in this story, symbolizes a person who is patient and never tired to give his/her love even though they know that someone he/she loves will not be theirs forever.
In this short story, Dee gives a message that you do not need to be her boyfriend or girlfriend officially to love him/her.
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“Seseorang semestinya memutuskan bersama orang lain karena menemukan keutuhannya tercermin, bukan ketakutannya akan sepi”
(Someone must decide to be with another one because he/she finds his/her completeness reflected, not his/her fearfulness of being lonely)
“Peluk” brings us to a story about a guy that suddenly stops loving his girlfriend (page 54, paragraph 3) after six year relationship (page 57, paragraph 5).
The guy has no idea why he must do it—to break up with his someone special—, so does the girl. She really disappointed with what he done. She is hopeless (page 56, paragraph 1); she does not know how to find the other guy to replace him. Is the guy still willing to break-up?
“Peluk”, in my opinion, is the saddest story in “Rectoverso”. Can you imagine when your someone special come to you and say that he/she does not love you anymore without any clear reason? It might make you stressful and wonder why he/she can do that to you.
When first time read it, you may think that the guy is a bit insane. But, do not worry. He will try to explain the reasons why he wants to break-up, even though on the first until third paragraph you can see the guy still doubts with what he feels.
From this story, Dee shows that sometimes love, even though you have experienced it years, is still being an unexplained mysterious thing. It is also similar with separation. Most of people may think that separation is something hurts. But, in this short story, separation is better than being together with your special one that not special anymore in your heart.
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“For me, a perfect chocolate bar should be bitter sweet, not all sweet, and certainly not all bitter, for then you lose all the fun.”
“Grow a Day Older” is one of two English short story in “Rectoverso”. It tells about a forbidden love between a girl and a guy. The girl has a lovely boyfriend and just made a beautiful pre-wedding picture (page 72, paragraph 5). So does the guy, he has a lovely girlfriend and would make a beautiful wedding picture. They have known each other, and they also know there are something happens between them; between their hearts (page 71, paragraph 1).
They are making a ‘friendship’, until the girl realizes that she cannot have another love in her heart and life (page 73, paragraph 1). So, she decides to give a farewell present to the guy on his birthday (page 73, paragraph 5)
This is my new experience to read an English short story of Dee. I thought it will be complicated, but Dee smartly wrote it in some simple words—dictions. So, the readers who do not fluent enough in English can understand and get the message from this story.
Talking about the message, this story teaches us how to make a decision even though you are in a complicated situation. You must follow your heart’s voice. Do not let the common proverb such as “go with the flow” lead you. Why? Because, ‘the flow’ just will lead you to nowhere but ‘ocean’, and I am sure you do not want ‘the ocean’ to be your last destination to continue your life.
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“Sudah cukup lama aku tertidur, memejamkan mata demi melewatkan mimpi demi mimpi bersama kalian. Sekarang, biarkan aku yang terjaga”
(It’s been a long time I was sleeping, closing my eyes to allow dream by dream with you. Now, let me stay awake)
“Tidur” is the longest short story in “Rectoverso”. Having different theme with the others, this short story tells about a woman who will go home after working two years in the other country. Sounds simple, right?
Generally, someone will be very happy to go back to home after years. Actually, she is happy, but she feels nervous too (page 122, paragraph 1). She does not ready yet to feel her freedom and meet again with her husband and children (page 128, paragraph 8). Now, it does not sound simple anymore, right?
.About the character symbolizes a person who was willing to exchange her ‘home’ with ‘unknown place in a dream world’; her family with the new company (page 127, paragraph 6). She admits that she was sleeping and living in a dream world in the recent two years (page 127, paragraph 6). It makes her does not want to ‘sleep’ anymore and decides to stay awake until she arrives at home—watching her lovely husband and beautiful children who have grown up sleep (page 131, paragraph 6).
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In my opinion, reading Rectoverso is like standing in front of the mirror. You may see your reflection in some stories in this book, whether it reflects your experience or feeling.
Overall, “Rectoverso” is a brilliant piece of work!
