Orang bilang, "Fitnah lebih kejam daripada pembunuhan."
Yeah, that might be. Because fitnah might result in pembunuhan anyway.

And that, my friend, is the overall energy in this tome called Stephen King's "Needful Things". Tadinya sih mau nulis ulasan pakai bahasa Inggris aja, tapi ternyata nggak sanggup. Gejolak jiwa ini harus dilampiaskan pula dalam kearifan lokal agar lebih greget. We're going Jakselnese, baby.

This book tells about kabupaten folks living their kabupaten life, and it just feels so real. Suatu tempat di mana semua orang mengenal semua orang, di mana semua orang tahu siapa anaknya siapa, siapa pacaran dengan siapa, siapa mantannya siapa, atau siapa diam-diam punya dendam kesumat sama siapa. Orang kabupaten tidak digerakkan oleh hingar-bingar gemerlap kehidupan dunia; orang-orang kabupaten menggerakkan kehidupan dan segala hiruk-pikuk dramanya.

Enter Sandman Leland Gaunt.

Leland Gaunt is to Castle Rock what Snouck Hurgronje was to Perang Aceh (this is why you read your history textbook at school, fools). Sosok yang luwes menggunakan siasat devide et impera demi mencapai apa yang dia inginkan: the whole thing burning down in flames, into piling mountains of ashes and ruins. Pakar politik adu domba. Seniman dengan karya aliran tumbak cucukan. I was reading with dread. Pokoknya memasuki 75% novel tuh perut rasanya udah mules aja. I was there seeing what he's doing to the whole town, hoping that the people I not-so-secretly rooting for would survive.

SPOILER ALERT: some of them do not make it to the end.
Prepare your heart for this sport called going heartbroken over fictional characters.

Oh ya, TOKOHNYA BANYAK BANGET. Well, again, this is about kabupaten folks living their kabupaten life. Jadi ya... emang melibatkan segambreng manusia. Needful Things, arguably, offer a lot more characters than King's so-called best book, The Stand. Tapi anehnya, saya bisa tetap peduli terhadap orang-orang ini meskipun nggak inget-inget amat siapa namanya yang mana. Ada yang pemabuk. Ada yang pejabat korup. Ada janda depresif yang habis keluar dari RSJ. Ada istri yang hobinya emang cari ribut sama tetangganya. Ada petinggi gereja yang gontok-gontokan karena proyek pembangunan kasino. I don't always remember their names, but I remember their story. And I think, at the end of the day, that is what matters most.

As a closing statement I'd say one thing:
Alan Pangborn x Polly Chalmers is my OTP and I'm shipping them from the deepest trench in my heart.

 

*P:S: Initially I gave this book a 4-star review (because I'm trying not to be that much biased), but since I seem unable to stop thinking about it for days after finished reading... to the 5-star shelf it goes.