Looking For Alaska by John Green Book Review

Ayee this is the review I wrote for Looking For Alaska about one and a half years ago. Quite a long time, yeah, and it's an example of one of the worst reviews you'd find. But whatever. Might as well check it out if you want to have a good eyebrow-raising YA review.

Great cover, isn't it?

Summary:

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.

So guys, I just finished this book called Looking For Alaska by Mr John “mysterious girls lover” Green. Then straight to what I’ve got to say, I like the book. A lot but not quite that lot. Maybe because it’s my first (one of the first) time reading a full young adult book. Usually it’s something like Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia or self-help book and Agatha Christie’s mystery.

I think the version of the cover I have is the best, considering it has cool taglines, and the daisy Alaska doodled. And it’s black and realy tumblr-ish, so I felt really thankful. Tumblr girls thank quite much.

Urn, when I started out reading this book I think I didn’t have a lot of expectations. Cool taglines ended up making you disapointed. Remember Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix movie tagline? “The Rebellion Begins” or something like that. Turned out it was the worst Harry Potter adaption ever. Seriously, where is the rebellion? Even my heart pounded harder when I read the book half-sleeping than when I watched the movie with giant sound system in theathre. Sad reality.

Back to the book. When you start reading the book, you’ll meet Miles Halter, that (from what I’ve read in the book) gawky, geek boy who moved from his old public school to Culver Creek where he met Chip Martin, Takumi Hikohito, and a young lady called Alaska Young. Together they set off a journey of life in mischievousness of teenager and Miles had the time of his life with new friends, pulling pranks,  good-looking Romanian girls, and so on.

Sebelum Aku Terjun

Purnama berpendar di sudut malam

Di atas selembar kelir biru kelam

Luruh, rendah hati, ringan, lembut, temaram

Memandang dunia yang berbaring dengan mata terpejam

Jembatan tua terbentang di atas ular air

Pepohonan bergeming, tak terusik angin

Tempat berabad lalu wanita tua merangkai syair

Alis bertaut, bermantel panjang penahan dingin

Selembar kerudung kuning terbang

Pemiliknya hanya tinggal bayangan

Letih, sang hamba Tuhan terus mengenang

Meratapi dunia yang penuh ketidakadilan

Untaian bulu aneka warna

Merak, merpati, elang yang perkasa

Cita-cita sang kakak tak pernah sirna

Hingga tubuh dimakan usia

Sepatu yang ditukar bulu ekor merak

Kerikil di bawah kaki berderak-derak

Jejak darah di jalan tanah

Terkenang sang kakak akan rumah

Peri kecil di naungan pohon kertas

Di manakah engkau berada?

Sang hamba Tuhan mendongak ke atas

Menangkupkan tangan, berdoa

Alur hidup ini, adikku, siapa yang tahu

Sang kakak mengirim pesan lewat kerudung kuning

Berharap si empunya mendengar bisikan itu

Meski kenangan telah menjadi puing

Pesan itu tak panjang, tak mengharap jawaban:

Mereka bilang aku akan masuk ke air,

yang tak lama lagi akan menenggelamkanku.

Sebelum aku terjun, aku meninggalkan ini

di tepian untukmu.

Semoga kau menemukannya, adikku,

jadi kau akan tahu apa yang ada di hatiku

saat aku tenggelam.

c, b. e. w~
April 3rd, 2014