Kimono Ungu Bersulam Bunga

Lately I'm finding myself coming back to short stories. I can't remember the last time I read a short stories collection anthology but I'm certain it was years ago.

This book is my first short stories collection in a long time. I also just realised that the most of the author I've been reading are men. Time to balance that with some female perspective.

Rebecca Ilham's Kimono Ungu Bersulam Bunga: 15 Cerita Gadis Perantau definitely delivers the needed dose of female perspective. The 15 short stories in this collection explores many themes: feminism, interfaith relations, gender issues and international affairs. Rebecca's female characters are mostly steel willed, savvy and can hold their own against the odds. You won't find them lounging by the pool in some tropical island resort or in a retail therapy session at Harrod's.

In the titular story, we meet Salwa who is exasperated by the patriarchal mindset of the Japanese male. If you watch enough Japanese films, dramas or anime, you'll likely to notice this too. I once read that there's a group of Japanese husbands who are educating other husbands that it's OK to hold their wives' hand in public. No wonder Japanese women went absolutely mad when Bae Yong Joon and the rest of Korean Wave hit their shore.

Rebecca devoted three stories to highlight the issue of Palestine: Jalan Jauh ke Ramallah, Menjadi Naurah and Jus Soli Jus Sanguinis. Each of the stories differ in the way they approach issues like Zionism, the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories and the lives affected by the conflict.

Yang Aneh Itu Lelaki was the first story I read (I jumped ahead, of course). I always wanted to know what women think of male homosexuality but Rebecca didn't reveal much about the female perspective of it and instead tackled it from the Islamic and scientific point of view.

Every story in this collect has been accepted and published in Dewan Bahasa publications, mainstream newspapers and on eSastera. They are chronologically ordered by the publication date ranging from 2007 to 2009. Two years and 15 published short stories is certainly an impressive accomplishment.

At the rate she's going, perhaps we could expect another collection in a few or so? Before that happens, there are a few things I would like to suggest. The titular story includes a glossary for the foreign terms mentioned, but there are no glossary for the other stories. I'm sure it would be helpful for readers like me who are very much clueless about many foreign countries and cultures, especially terms that help readers get into the story.

My favourite part of the book is Bagaimana Mulanya..., a foreword of sorts by Rebecca herself on how each of the story came about. I'm a big fan of anything behind-the-scenes. I love going into a writer's head and seeing how they work at their writing.

I wish I could say the same thing about the cover. It's certainly attention-grabbing. My main contention is how the make-up is more exotic rather than demure, the quality often associated with the kimono and the Japanese culture. A softer look might better compliment the book's themes and feel. I also think adding "Kumpulan Cerpen" on the front cover can help buyers especially when the books are plastic-warped. That said, the cover design team deserves praise for taking a bold approach.

And if the cover design team was going for boldness, then the cover truly embraces the boldness of Rebecca's writings. This collection is about big issues and strong women. I would love to see Rebecca branch out and tackle the more thought-provoking issues and perhaps even write more redeemable male characters who are still human and flawed, from the female perspective.

Meanwhile, this book has made me curious about the possibility of a hijab and kimono ensemble. I found this is one by an Indonesian Muslimah and her friends. A rather smashing look, isn't it?

(Source: aishliz)