post #65 : Book Review : KOUGAR

Salam peeps,

This would be my first book review. Excited ngat! Haha.

KOUGAR by Shaz Johar

First of all, this is the first FIXI novel that I have the chance to finish. Also, I've never heard of Shaz Johar in the blogsphere before, so his writings was totally fresh for me. I was planning to start my FIXI adventure with Nizam Bakeri's PECAH, but haven't been able to get a grip on the book yet so I've decided to start with KOUGAR instead.

SINOPSIS

KOUGAR memperlihatkan pembacanya dengan dunia seorang wanita metropolitan with a humble history, yang berumur 40 tahun, named Rakisha. (Nama agak moden for a girl yang claimed datang dari Kampung, don't you think?). Like any cougars cliche, Rakisha dalam dillema untuk mencari pasangan yang sesuai dengan diri beliau. In the book, Rakisha will meet a number of guys, each plays a significant role in her quest to find Mr.Right. But in the end, *spoiler alert* all that she can find is Mr.Right-Now.

BEST BITS? 

PLAYING WITH CURRENT ISSUES

I have to give credit to Shaz Johar sebab KOUGAR di samping memperlihatkan realiti dunia metropolitan, terselit gak isu-isu yang taboo dalam masyarakat. Tersirat mungkin, tapi bagi pembaca yang bijak tentu korang leh tangkap gak isu-isu polemik masyarakat. For example, isu wanita menutup aurat tapi membuka aurat pada masa yang sama. Tak lupa jugak isu bernikah bukan untuk kepuasan atau keperluan diri tetapi lebih kepada menuntut kehendak ibu bapa. We may see that as being a decimal issue, but decimal issues nih yang masyarakat neglect dan akhirnya memakan diri sendiri.

EASY RELATIONS TO THE PROTAGONIST

Aku senang relate dengan Protagonis KOUGAR, Rakisha. Yes I know that the protagonist is a 40 year old-woman, stuck in her job that she doesn't like, in love with a guy 13 years her junior, but still goes out with other guys she has no background of. But some part of her struggles reflects my struggle as well. For one, I'm stuck in a field that I have partial interest in. How I'm going to survive afterwards is for the future me to worry about. 

SEX SCENES 

Ade chapter-chapter dalam KOUGAR yang akan membuatkan male readers baca at least tiga kali just for the sake of transferring the exquisite words to images in their heads (female readers pon kot? =p). Although the sex scenes in KOUGAR is discrete, ada gak la masanya aku terbayangkan nukilan hebat penulis-penulis melayubolehdotcomdoymy satu ketika dahulu. Haha. 

THE WORST BITS?

THE EVERY DAY DIALOGUES

Adekalanya dialog dalam KOUGAR agak kekok dan terlalu formal. Adekalanya pembaca akan berhenti kejap baca, dan berfikir sejenak "Ade ke aku guna ayat camnih nak cakap dengan kengkawan aku?". An amature mistake I  have to say, since this is Shaz Johar's first book. Although I'm hoping that he can make improvements or risk being labelled as the next Ahadiat Akashah ( not that I hate Ahadiat Akashah or anything. =S )

TERGANTUNG

Some back story untuk certain characters dalam KOUGAR aku rase are incomplete. For example *spoler alert*, kita tak tahu ape kes yang terjadi with Azril & Datuk Mike in the end of the book. Seolah-olah penulis sengaja mencipta back stories mempelbagaikan plot tapi plot yang tak mencapai klimaks, which is quite disappointing gak lah. 

KONKLUSINYE?

For my first FIXI novel, aku rasa not bad lah and thumbs up for Shaz Johar on his portray of a woman in her mid-life crisis and the struggles that comes with it. However, I really hoped for a formidable ending in his next writings since ending untuk KOUGAR tergantung sangat and membuatkan aku merungut memalam nak tahu ape ending untuk Rakisha & ke-KOUGAR-an beliau.