Familiar Messes and other essays

by Gratiagusti Chananya Rompas

“I found solace in nothing. Because everything was temporary. And days flew by like heavy cigarette smoke floating above the dancing heads in the city’s most notorious club, like speech bubbles written in a language you cannot understand, like a dragon’s breath you keep chasing, like pills that move from your hand to your red lips.”

Gratiagusti Chananya Rompas’ personal essays are troves of memories she can always turn back to. They started off as day-to-day accounts of events from her younger years and the now. But Anya, as she is often called, is obsessed with how things people do — often in haste — quickly fossilize into memories, and how these memories, in turn, shape their lives.

Genres: Essays, Poetry, Nonfiction

78 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2017

About the author

Gratiagusti Chananya Rompas was born in Jakarta, 19 August 1979. She studied English Literature in Universitas Indonesia, Depok (2003) and received her masters in The Gothic Imagination from University of Stirling, Scotland (2005).

She is one of the founders of Komunitas BungaMatahari, a mailing list-based Indonesian poetry community that have embraced many poetry enthusiasts with its catchphrase “semua bisa berpuisi” or, roughly translated, “poetry for all”. She is also involved in Selatan, an online literary journal in Bahasa Indonesia, and PaviliunPuisi, a monthly open mic event that is open to poets, poetry communities and artists to showcase their works to an open-minded audience in a casual setting.

Her poetry collections are "Kota Ini Kembang Api" and "Non-Spesifik", both published by Gramedia Pustaka Utama. She also has a column, "From Our Breakfast Table", on The Murmur House. She plans to write some more, particularly on the subjects of memory and place. She is also interested in exploring themes of day-to-day life, motherhood and mental illness through writing in collaboration with other art forms, such as film, music, drawing, painting and dancing.

She currently resides in Jakarta, with her husband and daughter.

Reviews

[Raafi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last year, I brought the book from Jakarta and intended to read for flight. I maybe read a half book or more and got distracted with other books so I didn't finish it yet. Until last Sunday when I went for mid-year retreat program and assured myself to read the book. Now, I officially finished it.

It's so Anya; with intuition about little things around her and made the words meaningful. However, I didn't understand all of her writing in this book. Some of them are too long and too complicated to figure out. The other writings remind me about her fight with her illness.

"In the morning, I was a different person I think. I grew up a bit, into an adult who always tries to hold her tears just a bit longer every time." - The Change in A Room (pg. 15)

[Qonita · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. i like her innocence and straightforwardness. her words speak to me.

[(≧∇≦) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kumpulan essai yang sangat jujur dan membuatku ikut hanyut dalam cerita kehidupan si penulis. Segala perasaan sedih dan teman-temannya mampu tersalurkan setidaknya untukku. Beberapa aku ikut merasa sesak saat membacanya.

[literautres · Rating 3 out of 5]

scraping minds on loose paper after paper. i don't know what i'm doing. it just feels like otherwise i will lose everything. but what do we humans have got to lose. i remember when i don't want to remember. yet i don't want to forget anything at all.

i have been putting off reading this book since 2019, i think? from wanting to purchase it to knowing it is available on iPusnas to borrowing it and then forgetting it and then borrowing it again. this actually one of those attempts of mine to decrease the amount of my tbr haha..

anyway, the book. the writing feels so incredibly personal, i almost feel hesitant to actually feel anything about it. i mean they are personal essays, what do i even expect of course they will feel personal. i just dont think it will be to the level where i feel like i am violating someone's privacy haha.

some of the essays i can relate to, so much, to the point that it's scary. but other than that, just like the title, the writing feels really messy, they dont feel like they hold a certain theme to it. maybe it is the author's intention, or maybe she just doesnt intend to it to be anything at all. it is not bad though.

[Radinka Daynara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by Gratiagusti Chanaya Rompas the founder of Komunitas BungaMatahari (mailing list-based Indonesian poetry community) this book troves a few if not a handful of her mundane stories.

I bought this book to get me out of bad reading slump in 2019. I admit I was so bad at English (until now, perhaps lol) I need books that are written in English maybe those could help me brush it up, I guess?

Nothing hard to digest in the book. The writings are simple and easy to read. The only downside is perhaps how the writings feel more like a diary than a trove of essays methinks.

All in all, this book is a good read for anyone who wants to start reading again after a bad reading slump. Not a groundbreaking essay collection but quite a read

[Reffi Dhinar · Rating 4 out of 5]

As expected, the title is Familiar Mess, so even this book is thin, I can feel the author's sadness and gloomy mind so real. Until I read the page 'Afterword', she said that she has Bipolar, now I know why her stories are so complicated. I love how she can pack her riot mind into an honest essay or poem. Art is not only about pain, Art is also about irregular sentences.

[mid · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4
actually i was about to give little less than 3. but later during the read i found the laughter and bitter of warm. it isn't a collection of happy stories. it is dark. but kinda... dark and someone holding your hand through it.

[Meg ✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's like reading someone's diary until you can't stop reading it. some parts are a bit hard to understand and make me wonder and some make my jaw drop. ofc it's full of gloomy gloomy feelin' blue vibes

[Lisna Atmadiardjo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever feel vunerable after reading a book? This book is so dark makes me cringe.

[Perdana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book. So intimate, so blue, and yet so hopeful the way Plath’s “I am. I am. I am.”

[Alvina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Help does not always come. And you still ask

[Sashi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so raw it screams sombre and sorrow. Her writings are beautiful, but some of it feels like meant not to be understood by other than herself.

[Bagas · Rating 4 out of 5]

ga tau kenapa tapi ketika baca ini suka sedih sendiri. really dark, but really quick read jadi ga keberatan.

[Farajour · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's feel like personal.

I grew up a bit, into an adult who always tries to hold her tears just a bit longer everytime.