(Honest) Book Review: "The Weight of Our Sky" by Hanna Alkaf
For this particular assignment, I had to do three book reviews in total... And this is officially my second one. Therefore, I will be more active on my blog just for the sake of this assignment. Who knows, maybe after I finish my assignment, I will get back to blogging?
Coming back to the book review, I am writing about "The Weight of Our Sky" by Hanna Alkaf. Frankly speaking, I admire Hanna Alkaf's works but never gotten the chance to actually read a physical copy of it. Therefore, for maximum enjoyment, I decided to head to a library to look for it (The dedication... I kid you not!) Unfortunately, I managed to find a copy of it which was translated in Malay language. The Malay translation was done beautifully by Fahmi Mustaffa.
As for the cover of the Malay translation of the novel, it shows Malaysia's national flag "Jalur Gemilang" in monochromatic colour scheme. I personally think that the cover art is interrelated to two main ideas of the novel, which are the main character's struggle with mental illness and the race riot back in 1969 (which is considered as "a dark year" for Malaysia). The cover art is gripping in a way that it made readers feel curious on why the Malaysian flag is painted black and white on the cover?
On the surface, the story is about a 16-years-old girl named Melati, a Muslim Malay teen who suffered with OCD and anxiety, but is led to believe that all her behaviours are caused by a djinn living inside her head. She lives during the year 1969, when race riots took place in Malaysia. Following a controversial election, Chinese and Malays rioted, set fire to homes, and ruthlessly murdered one another. During the riot, Melati was separated from her mother and she is on a search to reunite with her mother despite the fact that she suffered with such illness.
Similar to the previous review, I shall talk about what I like in the novel. The novel is dark, gruesome and graphically violent. Being a fan of psychological thriller and gruesome movies, I am glad that Hanna did not sugar coat the fact that the riot is indeed brutal in nature. If readers are on the same boat as me, they might find those scenes as interesting, but in a heartbreaking way. However, those imageries can also be triggering to some readers. Thus, readers need to be prepared for any parts that are triggering for them.
The following point that I enjoy is the depiction of mental illness in a Muslim household. It is common for Muslim families to blame it on the djinns and devil for mental illnesses. Even I can relate to that point because it took me such a long time to convince my family in helping me to seek proper help for my depression and anxiety, which I suffer for years. I do find the whole suffering due to mental illnesses as emotionally draining and indeed, I used to think of my intrusive thoughts are caused by the djinns living inside my mind. Reading all of the Djinn's words in Melati's head made me feel even more sad at some points. Therefore, I have such a strong sense of connection towards Melati. I always feel like, "Poor Melati..." every time I read her intrusive thoughts.
Additionally, she lives in an era where mental illnesses are not being taken seriously. Mental illnesses are still stigmatized up until today, but it was worse during this particular period. To make it worse for her, she has to find for her mother who was lost in the midst of a race riot. To me, her strong-willed spirit in search for her mother made me admire her even more. If it was me who lives in that era, I might end up just locking myself up in my room and wishing that the riot will be over soon... Because this is practically me during those times where I suffer with my illnesses. I barely able to get out of bed to shower or get dressed, let alone searching for a person when a whole chaos is happening in my country.
Similar to the previous novel, the theme is being executed well by the author. Racism is still an ongoing issue in Malaysia with some people still randomly throwing racial slurs onto each other, but it was not as severe as what being shown in the novel. As compared to now, the segregation between races are less obvious as compared to the year 1969. Nevertheless, despite the gloominess of the surrounding, the characters are all united during the tough time. The characters show to readers what does it mean to be strong and united in a time when a difference can leads to death.
Also another point that is similar to the previous novel, the setting is perfect for the novel. The country Malaysia sounds gloom and hopeless during the year 1969, but the characters made readers feel like there is still a glimmer of hope for the country. The "muhibbah" spirit is what holding the citizens back together and leads to the victory shown in the end of the novel. Small details like "ais kacang" made me smile as well. I love "ais kacang" because to me, it is a symbolism on how we as Malaysians have different races but still manage to live together in peace and harmony. Small details like this means a lot for a reader like me since I feel unapologetic to be born as a Malaysian.
Now, off to things that I am not fond of about the novel "The Weight of Our Sky". Coming back to the topic of mental illness, I find that some scenes are rather repetitive. As a person who suffers with mental illnesses, it sure is a repetition of the same cycle over and over again. However, I feel like I am just reading the same scenes over and over again without any additional information. If only the repetitive scenes are being reduced by the author, I think the writing will not sound as draggy as what is being shown in the novel.
Also similar to the previous novel, I am unsatisfied with the ending. This is rather upsetting because the build-up tension is really good, but the ending is so abruptly done. Everything pretty much got resolved within the last 10 pages and I find it unsatisfying. I was expecting the ending to not be too rushed up, but again, this is Hanna's debut novel and I know her writing improves as she progresses. Some of my favourite novels from her are "For The Wolf" and "The Girl and the Ghost".
All in all, the novel "The Weight of Our Sky" is such a riveting and bold debut made by Hanna Alkaf. After reading this novel, I feel overwhelmingly proud to scream "Saya anak Malaysia!" I enjoy this novel a lot and I would definitely suggest everyone to pick up this novel if they want to read something that is brutal, poignant and thankful to be born as a Malaysian.
P.S.: Speaking of "ais kacang", I guess I should grab one after I finish writing my review. Hahaha...
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