The Wedding Breaker by Evelyn Rose

The Wedding Breaker by Evelyn Rose
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finally, I’m done with this novel. First of all, masih belum terlambat for me to say this... SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI to all warga goodreads yang beragama Islam (also for those yang membaca blog I yang probably takde pengunjung). It has been a month or two since the last time I read a Malay novel. Semasa bulan puasa, kepala I macam tak boleh nak focus membaca, and the fact that the book I tried to finish wouldn’t get past chapter one (sebab penulisan yang... not too good. Sesiapa yang focus on my current reading update probably know which book I’m talking about)... then I sibuk beraya setelah berpuasa sebulan and now, my reading mood is coming back to me...

Sebenarnya, ramai yang dah recommend this novel to me; from my fellow readers online to the Indonesian lady yang jual novel ne at the local bookstore. This book has been around from November last year, if I’m not mistaken, and as long as that, novel ne sentiasa dipegang dan dibaca sinopsisnya while I shop for novels, and for months I kept putting it back on the shelf sebab 2 perkara.

(1) The title. I prefer novel Melayu menggunakan bahasa Melayu when it comes to the title and the writings. Sometimes, penulis tends to write narrative in Bahasa Inggeris, tapi tu sometimes can be overlook. I cringe sometimes, tapi it’s not something huge to be complained about... and I can fully accept English usage in dialogues. However, title in English ne isn’t really attractive in my eyes for a Malay novel. Maybe the translation of “The Wedding Breaker” in Malay isn’t really eye-catching. Susah sangat ke nak cari title in Malay? I like how E-Man Sufi’s book title turned out: “Hikayat Cinta Si Pematah Hati”... that kind yang very unique and classic. Si pematah hati yang usually menggunakan term “heartbreaker”.

Yah, I know... I write mostly in English sebab I’m not really a writer... I’m a complainer. LOL

(2) The synopsis. I’m not complaining about the whole thing. Just the small excerpt from the novel about one of the character saying that she/he was talking to a lizard. Yang jelas, the excerpt tu adalah satu conversation yang I tak rasa patut dihighlight because it’d only bring blankness in the reader’s mind, like mine... and honestly, the conversation was pretty lame. I read that part and I was like, "Apakannnn?" The conversation made me think twice about buying the novel... Serious, I rasa macam penulis tu cakap nonsense.

It’s true that we shouldn’t judge book by its cover... sebab... selepas I read the novel... I found that I love this novel. I read reviews saying that this novel ada banyak pengajaran and very fairytale-like.

I definitely agree.

“The Wedding Breaker” (plegh!) is the first novel by Evelyn Rose. It tells a story of two high class people, Datuk Tengku Adam Kamil and Ariana Rose.

It started with a wedding scene in which Ariana Rose ruined sebab dia sayang sangat kat kawan dia (and didorong lagi dengan rasa terhutang budi). Start from there, ceritanya menjadi semakin menarik and I’m too malas nak summarize since banyak review at Goodreads dah buat summary. I do have something to say about the novel.

I think penulis pandai menyusun plot dengan sempurna. In terms of plot, I salute penulis. Ianya berjaya dikembangkan dengan satu kebodohan from a girl who tried to save her friend. Kejadian itu menjatuhkan maruah dua keluarga diraja, dan kemudian mencemar kesucian seorang perempuan. Di sebalik plot yang gelap tu, I love that penulis develop another plot yang akan menukar kegelapan tu kepada satu cahaya. Brilliant!

However, I’m not really fond of the last 2 chapters. For one thing, the timeline dah melompat jauh and it happened without being mentioned. When I read bab 61, I was like, “Aiiii??!” Too abrupt and kinda random. Actually, I suka pengisiannya. I cuma tak suka how abrupt the chapters seemed to be... Two chapters tu should be wrapped as an epilogue... Me thinks...

I love the characters’ development, especially of the watak utama lelaki. Tengku Adam Kamil, seorang lelaki yang sudah jauh terpesong dari agama Islam. I love how penulis terapkan reasonings behind his personality bit by bit... I suka perwatakan yang ada pada Tengku Adam. He's very wise beyond his age; the negative part of him pun kena trigger semasa dia masih muda... and without guide yang betul, there's nothing for him to comprehend. Only when his father start to bawa dia into the world of Islam, baru dia dapat memikirkan kebenaran agama Islam... and I suka the fact that the writer can make me fall in love with the same person that I loathe at the beginning. It’s true that, sometimes seseorang yang baru mengenal Islam dengan dalam akan menjadi seorang yang teliti dalam menjalankan syiar Islam.

Ariana, on the other hand, is a so-so muslimah yang mendapat hidayah untuk memperbaiki lagi dirinya yang masih ignorant dengan some Muslim etiquette. I think I like Ariana selepas dia found out that she married Tengku Adam. Instead of melayan ego dia yang typically ada pada sesuatu novel, and instead of giving in to the devil's whispers, dia redha dengan takdirnya; bersuamikan lelaki yang menjadi punca "kegelapan" hidupnya.

These two main characters ne tergolong di dalam kumpulan mereka yang berfikiran jauh and matang... They tend to talk too much about things that isn’t normally talked about, especially in bed, however, I know there are people like them in this world. I just never seen characters like Tengku Adam Kamil dan Ariana Rose.

I like the fairytale-like scenes... like the wedding. It’s not something yang impossible, tapi so over the top. I don’t mind really. For most, the wedding (especially) seems to be dreamlike and I thought so too. However, I like that in a novel... sebab, when I read novel, I’m out of this world. I suka terbang with the story. I think this is one of the reasons people read novels tentang cinta. To make us dream, sigh and fly.

Di samping that fairytale, there are more pengajaran yang diserapkan. Penulis menceritakan perjalanan hidup Ariana yang perit dan ianya mengajar dirinya dan seseorang yang jahil tentang agama untuk berubah kepada Muslim yang sejati. Kekuatan kedua watak utama menerima segala cubaan dan kepayahan membawa kepada kebahagiaan mereka. Penceritaan seperti ini somehow mengingati kita semua bahawa qada' dan qadar setiap manusia tu adalah sesuatu yang sudah tertulis sejak azali dan wajib bagi setiap umat Islam untuk mempercayainya and menyalahkan takdir bermakna, kita tidak percaya kepada salah satu rukun Iman... Ada hikmah bagi setiap kejadian buruk yang menimpa. I love that penulis convey all the useful messages to the readers. Segala excerpts from Kitab ALLAH dan Hadith diselitkan menambahkan lagi keinsafan pada diri ini.

Bila penulis said, “... tiada pembuktian, tiada objektif yang nyata, tiada kajian yang mendalam...”, I really think penulis is being very humble. Kalau takde semua tu, macam mana dia tau exactly how to insert semua pengajaran yang ada, especially those yang datang daripada hadith, unless semua tu kerja editor. I don’t really know anything about the editorial job... From the way she writes, I got the feeling that she gets all her info from her own experience and I reckon she reads a lot of English novels... and probably be an avid fan of television shows. Most info about the lifestyle orang Barat tu are not new to me. I know semua tu sebab I read novels and I watched TV shows, and probably pelajari dari my online friends. Being around the writer’s friends overseas might be the main cause of her knowledge.

Perhaps sebelum ne I didn't notice when a character works with the government sebab jarang sekali I read things about kementerian and its high class people being mentioned. I think this a breath of fresh air.

Novel ini membangkitkan so many issues yang berat disamping yang tak terlalu berat and writer seems to let readers know what she feels about certain things in her writings. It might have been taken from her close acquaintances... I dunno. Tapi I do love the social critics yang ada.

Style penulisan Evelyn Rose is superb. The start tu I think a bit betaburan. Some ayat not making sense in terms of its existence tapi towards the end, I guess the storytelling gets better. Got gooesebumps here and there, but it’s not something yang worth being mentioned or criticized.

This book is a definite 18SX. LOL. Being an open-minded person, I didn’t think this as a bad thing. I don’t know if penulis dah kahwin or not, tapi she definitely read a lot of romance novels. Banyak expressions and feel yang typically ada dalam English novel... things as little as the leg rubbing. I'm not complaining.

Satu percubaan yang, I think, sangat-sangat brilliant. Despite all the complains I had, I decided to give this book a full star sebab I love the book so much. A novel that I will definitely read again... and again... and again. I might actually start reading Evelyn Rose’s blog.

A highly recommended novel -- again for 18 and above. LOL


Sinopsis novel “The Wedding Breaker” (ugh!):

“Saya memohon maaf kerana mengganggu majlis kalian. Tetapi sebelum Tengku Juwita bernikah dengan Tengku Adam, dia wajar mengetahui siapa bakal suaminya yang sebenar...” - Ariana Rose

Ariana Rose. Kehadirannya menyebabkan majlis pernikahan itu terbatal. Disebabkan gadis itu jugalah, reputasi dan status diri bekas pengantin lelaki itu menjunam jatuh di mata masyarakat. Siapa sebenarnya dia? Apa tujuannya dan siapa yang menghantarnya untuk merosakkan majlis pernikahan itu? Tak kira, dia akan menyiasatnya juga!

Akhirnya Ariana Rose terpaksa akur dengan balasan yang perlu diterimanya akibat perbuatannya itu. Semenjak bertemu dengan lelaki itu, banyak peristiwa yang tak terjangka berlaku dalam hidupnya.


“What’s so funny?”

“Talking to me?”

“Nah… just talking to the lizard. See… there… we were talking just now. I know you won’t be able to understand the lizard’s language.”

Tapi kenapa setelah berlari sejauh ini, lelaki itu masih ditemuinya? Setelah dia berusaha melupakan semua kenangan itu, kenapa lelaki itu kembali meruntuhkan azam dan semangatnya? Kenapa mesti ada nama itu dalam kamus hidupnya?!

“I’m gonna miss you… I’d rather stay by your side. Always.”

“Sayang kat abang rupa-rupanya ya?”

“Mestilah, you are my bubbly boo and a naughty one too.”

Selama ini sudah banyak perempuan yang lebih cantik daripada dia hadir dalam hidup Tengku Adam Kamil. Tapi kenapa gadis itu juga yang melekat dalam hati dan ingatannya? Adakah itu petanda yang dia memang ditakdirkan untuk dirinya?

“Satu aje kesalahan awak, Ariana... Awak dah curi hati saya.” – Tengku Adam Kamil

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