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in a Dark Purple
San's husband suffered from a severe headache. The ambulance came and picked him up, but things started to appear strange ever since. San couldn't find her husband. She went to the hospital's emergency service to find out about her husband's condition, but her request was somehow denied. No information was given. Instead, San was maltreated because of her language limitations.
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Published July 1, 2020
About the author
M. Tiyasaa
3 books3 followersA novel and children’s book author from Indonesia. Tiyasaa means optimists in Sundanese, the language of West Java where she was born and living her childhood.
Before finding herself as River’s chaser, she worked as a part-time lecturer in a private university and full-time market analyst for a national media company in Indonesia.
***
M. Tiyasaa adalah nama pena. Tiyasaa dipilih demi merekatkan identitas penulis sebagai orang Sunda yang optimis untuk selalu mengejar mimpinya. Sedangkan M sendiri adalah inisial nama asli penulis.
M. mulai tertarik terjun dalam dunia literasi dan pengajaran sejak duduk di bangku SMA. Bersama dua teman lainnya, penulis membentuk ekstra kulikuler kelompok belajar (science study group) pertama di sekolahnya.
Penulis kala itu berperan sebagai ketua organisasi (yang kemudian diberi nama Remaja Eksakta SMA Satu Karawang) sekaligus pemberi materi bidang matematika. Penulis juga berhasil masuk dalam nominasi pelajar SMA yang mewakili kota Karawang untuk bergelut dalam kompetisi Sains Nasional di tingkat provinsi.
Selepas SMA, penulis melanjutkan kecintaannya dalam dunia pengajaran dengan memberi kursus privat matematika untuk pelajar mulai dari tingkat SD, SMP, hingga SMA sambil melanjutkan pendidikannya sebagai mahasiswa fakultas ilmu komunikasi. Di kampus, penulis juga kerap diminta berperan sebagai asisten dosen beberapa mata kuliah yang berbeda sekaligus pembimbing penulisan skripsi untuk teman-teman seangkatannya.
Lulus sebagai valedictorian, kemudian penulis memutuskan untuk mengambil program au pair demi melanjutkan mimpinya untuk bisa menikmati kuliah di Prancis. Saat ini penulis menyandang gelar master untuk bidang Komunikasi dan Ekonomi Bisnis.
Kecintaannya pada dunia pengajaran kemudian berlanjut sebagai hobi. Sambil bekerja sebagai analis departemen research & development di sebuah perusahaan media nasional, penulis juga bekerja sebagai dosen lepasan.
Kini penulis memutuskan melanjutkan kecintaannya pada dunia pendidikan dengan menghasilkan karya-karya tulis yang berfokus pada tema keragaman. Perannya sebagai ibu saat ini memberikan keleluasaan pikiran bagi penulis untuk mengembangkan ide-idenya.
Before finding herself as River’s chaser, she worked as a part-time lecturer in a private university and full-time market analyst for a national media company in Indonesia.
***
M. Tiyasaa adalah nama pena. Tiyasaa dipilih demi merekatkan identitas penulis sebagai orang Sunda yang optimis untuk selalu mengejar mimpinya. Sedangkan M sendiri adalah inisial nama asli penulis.
M. mulai tertarik terjun dalam dunia literasi dan pengajaran sejak duduk di bangku SMA. Bersama dua teman lainnya, penulis membentuk ekstra kulikuler kelompok belajar (science study group) pertama di sekolahnya.
Penulis kala itu berperan sebagai ketua organisasi (yang kemudian diberi nama Remaja Eksakta SMA Satu Karawang) sekaligus pemberi materi bidang matematika. Penulis juga berhasil masuk dalam nominasi pelajar SMA yang mewakili kota Karawang untuk bergelut dalam kompetisi Sains Nasional di tingkat provinsi.
Selepas SMA, penulis melanjutkan kecintaannya dalam dunia pengajaran dengan memberi kursus privat matematika untuk pelajar mulai dari tingkat SD, SMP, hingga SMA sambil melanjutkan pendidikannya sebagai mahasiswa fakultas ilmu komunikasi. Di kampus, penulis juga kerap diminta berperan sebagai asisten dosen beberapa mata kuliah yang berbeda sekaligus pembimbing penulisan skripsi untuk teman-teman seangkatannya.
Lulus sebagai valedictorian, kemudian penulis memutuskan untuk mengambil program au pair demi melanjutkan mimpinya untuk bisa menikmati kuliah di Prancis. Saat ini penulis menyandang gelar master untuk bidang Komunikasi dan Ekonomi Bisnis.
Kecintaannya pada dunia pengajaran kemudian berlanjut sebagai hobi. Sambil bekerja sebagai analis departemen research & development di sebuah perusahaan media nasional, penulis juga bekerja sebagai dosen lepasan.
Kini penulis memutuskan melanjutkan kecintaannya pada dunia pendidikan dengan menghasilkan karya-karya tulis yang berfokus pada tema keragaman. Perannya sebagai ibu saat ini memberikan keleluasaan pikiran bagi penulis untuk mengembangkan ide-idenya.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 24, 2020
San Guenal was a teenager in Jakarta during the 1998 riots that hit her city and country. After a harrowing experience of assault days before the riots broke out, San is determined to leave Indonesia.
Years later, an unlikely online encounter blossoms into a cross cultural love story. After a short online courtship, San moves to France to begin a new life with her husband Oli. Though San struggles with a bit of culture shock, her life with Oli and their infant son Alexandre is flourishing. Until tragedy strikes Oli and the family.
In a matter of weeks, San’s life is turned upside down. Her husband is in intensive care. The experience with the hospital turns into a nightmare. On top of everything she finds out she is pregnant with their second child.
It is an emotionally powerful book, blending well emotions with historical fact. Overall it is a sad story, but with many bright moments along the way. A story where hope turns to despair and San must figure out how to overcome the darkness. San must figure out how to navigate the coming months and years using her faith, instinct, family and friends for support.
Years later, an unlikely online encounter blossoms into a cross cultural love story. After a short online courtship, San moves to France to begin a new life with her husband Oli. Though San struggles with a bit of culture shock, her life with Oli and their infant son Alexandre is flourishing. Until tragedy strikes Oli and the family.
In a matter of weeks, San’s life is turned upside down. Her husband is in intensive care. The experience with the hospital turns into a nightmare. On top of everything she finds out she is pregnant with their second child.
It is an emotionally powerful book, blending well emotions with historical fact. Overall it is a sad story, but with many bright moments along the way. A story where hope turns to despair and San must figure out how to overcome the darkness. San must figure out how to navigate the coming months and years using her faith, instinct, family and friends for support.
July 26, 2020
Definitely a page-turner. The narrative helps greatly to relate to San and the emotions and series of events are neatly explained .
August 28, 2020
This book is on English, but my review written in Bahasa Indonesia.
Apakah kamu penonton setia cerita Harry Potter?
Oh, bukan, buku ini sama sekali tidak berkaitan dengan dunia sihir seperti Harry Potter, tapi setidaknya kalau kamu familiar dengan Harry Potter, kamu pasti juga familiar dengan makhluk bernama Dementor. Nah, dementor ini dalam film dan buku Harpot punya kemampuan 'menghisap kebahagiaan'. Bikin korbannya seolah kehilangan semua memori indah, sesak, depresi dan penuh kesedihan. Singkatnya, feeling despair...
Nah, perasaan seperti terhisap kebahagiaan dan merasa sesak inilah sensasi yang aku rasakan selama membaca buku ini. Cocok sekali sama judulnya, In a Dark Purple.
Buat yang belum tahu, In a Dark Purple ini bukanlah novel atau cerita fiksi, melainkan sebuah memoir atau potongan kisah kejadian kehidupan orang lain. Jadi, bisa dikategorikan non-fiksi dan nyata mungkin, ya. Tapi kalau kamu baca ceritanya dari awal sampai akhir mungkin kamu akan sulit percaya kalau cerita yang ditulis M. Tiyasaa ini sungguhan terjadi dan dialami langsung oleh manusia yang hidup di atas bumi. Karena aku sendiri pun menolak percaya! Kenapa? Karena ceritanya terlalu pedih rasanya untuk dianggap sebagai nyata. Aku sulit percaya ada manusia yang sungguhan mengalami apa yang diceritakan di buku setebal 340 halaman ini.
Mengerikan dalam arti sesungguhnya! It is really horrible.
Dituliskan melalui sudut pandang orang ke-3, yaitu melalui sudut pandang penulis yang bercerita tentang apa yang dialami oleh San, seorang gadis Indonesia keturunan Chinese yang memutuskan ingin tinggal dan hidup di luar Indonesia setelah melihat sendiri kekejaman 1998 pada warga etnis Cina yang tinggal di Indonesia. Keinginannya terkabul saat dia berkenalan dengan Oli, pria berkebangsaan Prancis yang jatuh cinta padanya lewat hubungan virtual dan akhirnya menikahi San dan membawanya tinggal di luar Indonesia, persis seperti keinginannya.
Aku suka bagaimana penulis bisa menggambarkan realita bahwa tinggal di luar negeri tidak selalu indah dan menyenangkan. Sama seperti pasangan muda kebanyakan, Oli dan San memulai tinggal di sebuah flat sempit dan saling menyabarkan diri dengan segala keterbatasan dan kesibukan yang ada untuk terus maju dan hidup bersama. Well, they are happy couple indeed...
Membaca In a Dark Purple tidak bisa lekas-lekas karena ini seperti mendengarkan teman lama kita bercerita tentang hidupnya setelah 20 tahun tak jumpa. Awalnya terasa membosankan, tapi ketika kita semakin masuk dan mendengarkan baik-baik, kita akan sampai pada bagian yang sangat intim, dalam, dan mungkin tidak terduga sampai ingin menangis. Aku tidak bisa bercerita banyak tentang apa yang terjadi pada Oli dan San, karena aku tidak ingin SPOILER disini. Tapi, dari cerita San yang disampaikan oleh penulis aku belajar bahwa menikah bukan perkara aku dan kamu yang menjadi kita, saja. Tapi peran keluarga itu penting. Karena kita enggak pernah tahu apa yang akan terjadi pada pasangan kita di masa mendatang. We need a support system for sure. To keep up with life. To stay sane whatever happens.
In Dark Purple juga seperti mengingatkan bahwa Tuhan dan keajaibannya itu nyata. Bahwa seharusnya manusia tidak perlu menyangkal yang 'suara hati' dan insting bagaimanapun gilanya logika dan akal menolak. Kadang, suara-suara itulah yang menuntun manusia untuk menjadi penuh dan tidak menyesali hal apapun yang terjadi dalam hidup. San bercerita dengan baik tentang keyakinannya terhadap hal itu. Memoir ini ajaib. Hmm, aku beruntung bisa membaca ini langsung dari penulisnya :)
Dari segi tulisan, aku akan jauh lebih bahagia andai saja terdapat keterangan waktu dan timeline yang jelas dalam penulisannya. Karena jujur aku kesulitan mengikuti alur waktunya. Kapan kejadian A terjadi, berapa lama, berapa lama waktu setelah kejadian B ke kejadian C, seperti itu. Akan lebih menyenangkan jika di awal chapter ada keterangan waktu kejadian. Mungkin itu saja. Untuk penggambaran detil ceritanya, setting, penceritaan emosi, pemilihan kata dsb menurutku tidak ada masalah. Sungguhan bikin aku ingin ikut menangis membayangkan ada di posisi San. Aku juga suka penulis menyelipkan beberapa istilah dalam bahasa Prancis langsung. Menggambarkan dengan baik kebingungan dan kegamangan San dengan nyata. Aku bahkan bisa membayangkan dalam kepalaku bagaimana bingungnya San ketika menelepon layanan darurat demi mendapat bantuan dan diacuhkan! Astaga.
Terimakasih sudah menulis cerita San dan Oli. Sudah berbagi dan menuliskan pengalaman San dalam memoir seindah ini. Memoir pertama yang aku baca. Kayaknya aku perlu membaca genre seperti ini lebih sering :)
Apakah kamu penonton setia cerita Harry Potter?
Oh, bukan, buku ini sama sekali tidak berkaitan dengan dunia sihir seperti Harry Potter, tapi setidaknya kalau kamu familiar dengan Harry Potter, kamu pasti juga familiar dengan makhluk bernama Dementor. Nah, dementor ini dalam film dan buku Harpot punya kemampuan 'menghisap kebahagiaan'. Bikin korbannya seolah kehilangan semua memori indah, sesak, depresi dan penuh kesedihan. Singkatnya, feeling despair...
Nah, perasaan seperti terhisap kebahagiaan dan merasa sesak inilah sensasi yang aku rasakan selama membaca buku ini. Cocok sekali sama judulnya, In a Dark Purple.
Buat yang belum tahu, In a Dark Purple ini bukanlah novel atau cerita fiksi, melainkan sebuah memoir atau potongan kisah kejadian kehidupan orang lain. Jadi, bisa dikategorikan non-fiksi dan nyata mungkin, ya. Tapi kalau kamu baca ceritanya dari awal sampai akhir mungkin kamu akan sulit percaya kalau cerita yang ditulis M. Tiyasaa ini sungguhan terjadi dan dialami langsung oleh manusia yang hidup di atas bumi. Karena aku sendiri pun menolak percaya! Kenapa? Karena ceritanya terlalu pedih rasanya untuk dianggap sebagai nyata. Aku sulit percaya ada manusia yang sungguhan mengalami apa yang diceritakan di buku setebal 340 halaman ini.
Mengerikan dalam arti sesungguhnya! It is really horrible.
Dituliskan melalui sudut pandang orang ke-3, yaitu melalui sudut pandang penulis yang bercerita tentang apa yang dialami oleh San, seorang gadis Indonesia keturunan Chinese yang memutuskan ingin tinggal dan hidup di luar Indonesia setelah melihat sendiri kekejaman 1998 pada warga etnis Cina yang tinggal di Indonesia. Keinginannya terkabul saat dia berkenalan dengan Oli, pria berkebangsaan Prancis yang jatuh cinta padanya lewat hubungan virtual dan akhirnya menikahi San dan membawanya tinggal di luar Indonesia, persis seperti keinginannya.
Aku suka bagaimana penulis bisa menggambarkan realita bahwa tinggal di luar negeri tidak selalu indah dan menyenangkan. Sama seperti pasangan muda kebanyakan, Oli dan San memulai tinggal di sebuah flat sempit dan saling menyabarkan diri dengan segala keterbatasan dan kesibukan yang ada untuk terus maju dan hidup bersama. Well, they are happy couple indeed...
Membaca In a Dark Purple tidak bisa lekas-lekas karena ini seperti mendengarkan teman lama kita bercerita tentang hidupnya setelah 20 tahun tak jumpa. Awalnya terasa membosankan, tapi ketika kita semakin masuk dan mendengarkan baik-baik, kita akan sampai pada bagian yang sangat intim, dalam, dan mungkin tidak terduga sampai ingin menangis. Aku tidak bisa bercerita banyak tentang apa yang terjadi pada Oli dan San, karena aku tidak ingin SPOILER disini. Tapi, dari cerita San yang disampaikan oleh penulis aku belajar bahwa menikah bukan perkara aku dan kamu yang menjadi kita, saja. Tapi peran keluarga itu penting. Karena kita enggak pernah tahu apa yang akan terjadi pada pasangan kita di masa mendatang. We need a support system for sure. To keep up with life. To stay sane whatever happens.
In Dark Purple juga seperti mengingatkan bahwa Tuhan dan keajaibannya itu nyata. Bahwa seharusnya manusia tidak perlu menyangkal yang 'suara hati' dan insting bagaimanapun gilanya logika dan akal menolak. Kadang, suara-suara itulah yang menuntun manusia untuk menjadi penuh dan tidak menyesali hal apapun yang terjadi dalam hidup. San bercerita dengan baik tentang keyakinannya terhadap hal itu. Memoir ini ajaib. Hmm, aku beruntung bisa membaca ini langsung dari penulisnya :)
Dari segi tulisan, aku akan jauh lebih bahagia andai saja terdapat keterangan waktu dan timeline yang jelas dalam penulisannya. Karena jujur aku kesulitan mengikuti alur waktunya. Kapan kejadian A terjadi, berapa lama, berapa lama waktu setelah kejadian B ke kejadian C, seperti itu. Akan lebih menyenangkan jika di awal chapter ada keterangan waktu kejadian. Mungkin itu saja. Untuk penggambaran detil ceritanya, setting, penceritaan emosi, pemilihan kata dsb menurutku tidak ada masalah. Sungguhan bikin aku ingin ikut menangis membayangkan ada di posisi San. Aku juga suka penulis menyelipkan beberapa istilah dalam bahasa Prancis langsung. Menggambarkan dengan baik kebingungan dan kegamangan San dengan nyata. Aku bahkan bisa membayangkan dalam kepalaku bagaimana bingungnya San ketika menelepon layanan darurat demi mendapat bantuan dan diacuhkan! Astaga.
Terimakasih sudah menulis cerita San dan Oli. Sudah berbagi dan menuliskan pengalaman San dalam memoir seindah ini. Memoir pertama yang aku baca. Kayaknya aku perlu membaca genre seperti ini lebih sering :)
September 21, 2020
"If you can't be happy now, don’t think that you might have a chance to catch your train of happiness tomorrow." (Page 328)
I just finished reading In a Dark Purple by @mtiyasaa last night. What a heart-breaking and breath-taking story! 🤧💔
At the begining, I feel like meet someone called San. She tells about how she lives in France since 2006.
San met Oli in skype chat room in 2005. San is Indonesian and Oli is Frenchman. After a few months, Oli suprise San with his visit to Jakarta and marriage proposal. They celebrated a beautiful wedding in February 2006. San moved to France and not even known anyone there.
In April 2009, Oli got very severe headache. It has been only four short years, and things seem to signal the end of their story.
This book is a Memoir. But Marisa's writing style make me can't stop reading from the first page. I finished it only on 3 reading sessions.
YOU SHOULD READ THIS BEFORE THINK TO MOVE ABROAD!
I'm very terrible when read part of culture shock and language barriers. But, the worst is the issue about donating organ law and medical error cases in France.
"Everybody is subjected to be donors unless they have refused to do so while still alive." (Page 164)
Thank you for let me read your book @mtiyasaa 💙 This story is full of lessons. You can buy the copy though DM to @mtiyasaa
PS: This book written in English, with some part in French and Bahasa Indonesia.
I just finished reading In a Dark Purple by @mtiyasaa last night. What a heart-breaking and breath-taking story! 🤧💔
At the begining, I feel like meet someone called San. She tells about how she lives in France since 2006.
San met Oli in skype chat room in 2005. San is Indonesian and Oli is Frenchman. After a few months, Oli suprise San with his visit to Jakarta and marriage proposal. They celebrated a beautiful wedding in February 2006. San moved to France and not even known anyone there.
In April 2009, Oli got very severe headache. It has been only four short years, and things seem to signal the end of their story.
This book is a Memoir. But Marisa's writing style make me can't stop reading from the first page. I finished it only on 3 reading sessions.
YOU SHOULD READ THIS BEFORE THINK TO MOVE ABROAD!
I'm very terrible when read part of culture shock and language barriers. But, the worst is the issue about donating organ law and medical error cases in France.
"Everybody is subjected to be donors unless they have refused to do so while still alive." (Page 164)
Thank you for let me read your book @mtiyasaa 💙 This story is full of lessons. You can buy the copy though DM to @mtiyasaa
PS: This book written in English, with some part in French and Bahasa Indonesia.
September 5, 2020
This book was written by my friend Marisa, but I'll try to write an honest review nonetheless.
The story is written using a very clear language and short sentences, so it was easy to read. It also uses some French phrases and sentences, a language I don't know, which probably makes Sans experience (for me) more relatable. Language barrier is a huge issue in this book and it's outrageous! However, I'm fairly sure this is not limited to France, but could very well imagine this happening in Germany, my home country, too. Sadly, this is to say.
My favourite part of the book came quite at the end when I learned of Sans instincts (for a lack of a better word), which surprised me.
I'm so glad that Marisa tells this story and hope that this book will be well known and help change this situation.
So, I hope many of you will be curious to find out about Sans story, e.g. learn about the meaning of the title and make this book known, so this unfair and downright disgusting treatment of foreigners can come to an end.
The story is written using a very clear language and short sentences, so it was easy to read. It also uses some French phrases and sentences, a language I don't know, which probably makes Sans experience (for me) more relatable. Language barrier is a huge issue in this book and it's outrageous! However, I'm fairly sure this is not limited to France, but could very well imagine this happening in Germany, my home country, too. Sadly, this is to say.
My favourite part of the book came quite at the end when I learned of Sans instincts (for a lack of a better word), which surprised me.
I'm so glad that Marisa tells this story and hope that this book will be well known and help change this situation.
So, I hope many of you will be curious to find out about Sans story, e.g. learn about the meaning of the title and make this book known, so this unfair and downright disgusting treatment of foreigners can come to an end.
July 24, 2020
I've got this book this morning. And I read it in a row
The story is sad and terrible but well written! The fact that this story take place in France, that those behaviors against strangers, or sick people stills happen in this country make me feels ashamed.
The way San have to face this situation, the way she handle it, her feelings.. . Everythings feels like she is telling you personally her story around a conforting drink. I think this is the power of this book : you never take it lightly, like "a story". You understand the point of view of a stranger struggling with incomprehension, rudeness in a foreign country. It's painful, you feel San's suffering even if the writing style is pretty smooth..
Thanks to the author for letting enough space for San's feeling, for historical facts and for the readers. Just enough space to make San real even for the one who don't know her.
Great job!
The story is sad and terrible but well written! The fact that this story take place in France, that those behaviors against strangers, or sick people stills happen in this country make me feels ashamed.
The way San have to face this situation, the way she handle it, her feelings.. . Everythings feels like she is telling you personally her story around a conforting drink. I think this is the power of this book : you never take it lightly, like "a story". You understand the point of view of a stranger struggling with incomprehension, rudeness in a foreign country. It's painful, you feel San's suffering even if the writing style is pretty smooth..
Thanks to the author for letting enough space for San's feeling, for historical facts and for the readers. Just enough space to make San real even for the one who don't know her.
Great job!
August 9, 2020
Reading this book after living for 11 years in France as a foreigner, I could relate so much on all aspects surrounding San’s struggle. Not that I’ve ever experienced anything close to her hardship, but the sarcasm, a bit of rudeness here and there and the lack of empathy were so familiar to me. Instead of shocked, why am I not even surprised that these could happen. But we could then learn a lot from the way she fought, listened to people, took advice and acted upon it.
The plot of the story is very engaging and it felt so real. You’ll definitely get all kinds of rollercoaster emotional experience throughout San’s journey. And for the first time in my life, I finally recommend a book to some of my closest friends :)
The plot of the story is very engaging and it felt so real. You’ll definitely get all kinds of rollercoaster emotional experience throughout San’s journey. And for the first time in my life, I finally recommend a book to some of my closest friends :)
July 25, 2020
I started to read this book and couldn't stop until the end.
The story of San is incredible although I felt my heart ache as I continued to read. Having lived in foreign countries myself I understand the frustration that she went through, not fully understanding the system or the language, being treated badly or rudely just because I don't talk the language perfectly.
It is amazing that San listens to her voice in her dream as she knows it's right, even if others like her doctor doesn't agree.
It is a well wtitten book that makes you feel what San feels and at the same time you follow the events that happened in San's life.
The story of San is incredible although I felt my heart ache as I continued to read. Having lived in foreign countries myself I understand the frustration that she went through, not fully understanding the system or the language, being treated badly or rudely just because I don't talk the language perfectly.
It is amazing that San listens to her voice in her dream as she knows it's right, even if others like her doctor doesn't agree.
It is a well wtitten book that makes you feel what San feels and at the same time you follow the events that happened in San's life.
July 28, 2020
Beautiful story, beautifully written.
It is hard sometimes, because the story is a difficult one, but you can't just put the book down. Sometimes you want to scream, sometimes you want to cry and sometimes just a smile pops up on your lips.
I love the main character, her strength and her will. The book has a great rhythm combining what would be San's past and present as the whole that it is, as indivisible. Really liked it.
Must add that, as a nurse myself I was outrage by the treatment they get, I'm speechless.
Would have loved to know how San is doing nowadays though!
It is hard sometimes, because the story is a difficult one, but you can't just put the book down. Sometimes you want to scream, sometimes you want to cry and sometimes just a smile pops up on your lips.
I love the main character, her strength and her will. The book has a great rhythm combining what would be San's past and present as the whole that it is, as indivisible. Really liked it.
Must add that, as a nurse myself I was outrage by the treatment they get, I'm speechless.
Would have loved to know how San is doing nowadays though!
July 27, 2020
A must-read book! It tells an incredible true story about San’s life struggles in a foreign land. The turn of events in the book is mind-blowing, totally kept me on edge. I had a hard time putting it down once i started reading.
September 21, 2020
Reading this memoir felt like sitting in a room and sipping a cup of coffee with the woman herself, San Guenal. She lost her husband to a maltreated brain haemorrhage due to the hospital’s neglect, which started as a headache quickly turned San into a single mother with a baby son, Alex. The story started as we retraced San’s first meeting with Oli through Skype in 2005. San is a Chinese-Indonesian woman who, for specific reasons, vowed to move out of the country. Oli, who was still a Law student in France, asked for her hand in marriage. A year later, they got married in Jakarta and moved to Rennes as newlyweds. Fast forward to 2009, Oli suffered from a severe inexplicable headache and San tried everything she could to help him, in a country that isn’t quite welcoming to people like her. Although told from a third-person point of view, In a Dark Purple reads like someone’s private journal. The writing style is so blunt and straightforward, with a few sentences in French and Bahasa Indonesia here and there, that one cannot help but sympathise.
(CW: the next paragraph will contain some spoilers and a mention of rape.)
As I was reading the book, I found myself thinking over and over about the three main problems that surrounded San’s life. First is the culture shock. I can very much understand San’s frustration as an Indonesian who had to go about in a country where everything is in a different language (and my French A2 was so irrelevant tbh, they didn’t teach me survival slang French!!). San didn’t even know how to speak French prior to moving to Rennes, but she was determined to move there. Not only the language, I felt like she was also shocked about the way most people treated her, every conversation is too cold and brief—the opposite of Indonesian culture. Second is the healthcare system. There’s no denying that France has relatively one of the best healthcare systems among European countries—I mean this in terms of equal € provided in insurance. But in Oli’s case, they neglected his condition and denied him proper care. In the end, it was all too late to safe his life. San was repeatedly brushed off when she asked for information yet when they needed her signature for Oli’s organs it took no time (!!). I was glad to see how it turned out at the end, though it would never amount to the loss of a husband and a father. The third and last one is the main reason that motivated San to move out of Indonesia. There was something we ashamedly don’t talk enough about May 1998 Riot in Jakarta: the mass rape of Chinese-Indonesian women. To this day, a total of approximately 189 rape cases haven’t been acknowledged by the State and those who tried to investigate will face intimidation, even assassination. San told her story at the end of this book, and it ached my heart even more.
All in all, this was hard to read but it is no doubt an important one. Shoutout to the writer M. Tiyasaa for immortalising San's life in writing—thank you so much for the review copy!
(CW: the next paragraph will contain some spoilers and a mention of rape.)
As I was reading the book, I found myself thinking over and over about the three main problems that surrounded San’s life. First is the culture shock. I can very much understand San’s frustration as an Indonesian who had to go about in a country where everything is in a different language (and my French A2 was so irrelevant tbh, they didn’t teach me survival slang French!!). San didn’t even know how to speak French prior to moving to Rennes, but she was determined to move there. Not only the language, I felt like she was also shocked about the way most people treated her, every conversation is too cold and brief—the opposite of Indonesian culture. Second is the healthcare system. There’s no denying that France has relatively one of the best healthcare systems among European countries—I mean this in terms of equal € provided in insurance. But in Oli’s case, they neglected his condition and denied him proper care. In the end, it was all too late to safe his life. San was repeatedly brushed off when she asked for information yet when they needed her signature for Oli’s organs it took no time (!!). I was glad to see how it turned out at the end, though it would never amount to the loss of a husband and a father. The third and last one is the main reason that motivated San to move out of Indonesia. There was something we ashamedly don’t talk enough about May 1998 Riot in Jakarta: the mass rape of Chinese-Indonesian women. To this day, a total of approximately 189 rape cases haven’t been acknowledged by the State and those who tried to investigate will face intimidation, even assassination. San told her story at the end of this book, and it ached my heart even more.
All in all, this was hard to read but it is no doubt an important one. Shoutout to the writer M. Tiyasaa for immortalising San's life in writing—thank you so much for the review copy!
September 20, 2020
Buku ini adalah -kisah- mengharu -biru -yang -ditulis - dengan- penuh- ketegaran.
Itu adalah kesan saya setelah membaca in a Dark Purple. Dengan gaya khas Mtiaasa yang mampu bertutur secara lembut tapi dengan maksud yang kuat. Lagi-lagi secara halus pembaca akan dibawa menuju episode kehidupan San yang ternyata -a series of unfortunate events- menangis lah saya dengan tanpa henti.
Rasa gelisah, kepanikan, tapi ada juga keteguhan hati yang dialami San terpancar sedemikian kuatnya lewat buku ini sehingga respon alamiah saya adalah : berhenti sejenak untuk menghela nafas.
Kisah ini diperkuat dengan historical framing, dimana saya sendiri mengalami dan mengikuti beritanya saat itu, dan sungguh ini merupakan pengalaman luar biasa dapat membaca sebuah buku yang seolah meneruskan pengukiran babak sejarah baru - at least dalam kehidupan seseorang.
Well done.
Itu adalah kesan saya setelah membaca in a Dark Purple. Dengan gaya khas Mtiaasa yang mampu bertutur secara lembut tapi dengan maksud yang kuat. Lagi-lagi secara halus pembaca akan dibawa menuju episode kehidupan San yang ternyata -a series of unfortunate events- menangis lah saya dengan tanpa henti.
Rasa gelisah, kepanikan, tapi ada juga keteguhan hati yang dialami San terpancar sedemikian kuatnya lewat buku ini sehingga respon alamiah saya adalah : berhenti sejenak untuk menghela nafas.
Kisah ini diperkuat dengan historical framing, dimana saya sendiri mengalami dan mengikuti beritanya saat itu, dan sungguh ini merupakan pengalaman luar biasa dapat membaca sebuah buku yang seolah meneruskan pengukiran babak sejarah baru - at least dalam kehidupan seseorang.
Well done.
September 5, 2020
The book is very easy to read when you get into first two chapters. The story is emotionally well written and it got so intense.. and the fact it was a true story, you also can feel the hopelessness that San got through. I felt so angry and wish that with this book could help some people to get the knowledge that it is tough to be a foreign in a foreign country, even in France, the big country of solidarity. I also like the part that the writer put a “black Indonesian history” that nobody knew about, but as an Indonesian, it’s a kind of remembering the act that we would never forget and we would never proud of that the racism could also happened in a country of a great tolerance. Spoiler alert : It is an intense sad ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2020
The book starts out a little slow but it quickly picks up after the initial two chapters. As the author unfolds San’s story, she expertly crafted an asynchronous timeline that contrasts joy and grief, adding emotional intensity to the tragedy.
Overall I think the author has great book writing skills but it is obvious that she is not an English native speaker. There were grammatical mistakes and improper choice of words for the context. If this is something you can overlook, then just sit back and enjoy this emotional rollercoaster ride of a true story.
Overall I think the author has great book writing skills but it is obvious that she is not an English native speaker. There were grammatical mistakes and improper choice of words for the context. If this is something you can overlook, then just sit back and enjoy this emotional rollercoaster ride of a true story.
September 7, 2020
A heartbreaking story about a young woman struggling for dignity and her husband’s life in a foreign country.
It’s a real and well-documented story. And it is written in a flowing style that makes the book even more upsetting to read. Is it a biography? A novel? An essay? I’m not sure, but it casts a very bleak and contrasted light over some parts of the French health system.
It’s a real and well-documented story. And it is written in a flowing style that makes the book even more upsetting to read. Is it a biography? A novel? An essay? I’m not sure, but it casts a very bleak and contrasted light over some parts of the French health system.
July 28, 2020
Try to stop reading this book at any part is hard. Like my brains are echoing "what's next?". Simple sentences, easy to understand, with all those details written, the author must have had done profond research for this artwork.
July 29, 2020
Through simple language and detailed depictions of the event, this book has successfully got my attention. I'm hooked with San's life from the beginning until the end, making me emotional at some points.
Highly recommended!!!!
Highly recommended!!!!
August 17, 2020
Un livre dont je n’attendais pas beaucoup au départ, mais qui m’a subjugué. Définitivement, impossible à lâcher. Une fois que je levais la tête je ne faisais que penser à San et tous les événements qu’elle a traversé . Merci de m’avoir donné la chance de le lire !
August 4, 2020
Very well written with descriptive details.
Some of the scenes made me anxious but I’m not complaining AT ALL :)
The fact that this book is based on true story is a plus!
Some of the scenes made me anxious but I’m not complaining AT ALL :)
The fact that this book is based on true story is a plus!
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