Chick-lit author unveils Sabrina's dream with charm, message<\/p>\n
Tatik Chusniyati, Contributor, Malang<\/p>\n
Jilbab Britney Spears: Catatan Harian Sabrina
\n(Britney Spears' head scarf: Sabrina's diary)
\nHerlinatiens
\n
\nPustaka Anggrek, Yogyakarta, October 2004
\n
\n199 pp<\/p>\n
Amid the flourishing of chick-lit, Helinatiens, born in Ngawi in
\n1982, is one of the talented young female novelists who have
\nsowed greater fertility in the rather barren land of Indonesian
\nliterature. Her first novel, Garis Tepi Seorang Lesbian (Stepping
\nover the line: A lesbian's story) published by Galang press in
\n2003, sold like hot cakes. Likewise, Jilbab Britney Spears:
\nCatatan Harian Sabrina (Britney Spears' head scarf: Sabrina's
\ndiary) is now a best-seller in the country.<\/p>\n
By the time readers have closed the book, they will agree that
\na theme about women, especially teenage girls, will always
\nprovide inspirational material for a story.<\/p>\n
A woman, no matter how she dresses or appears, is a magnet for
\nher closest friends, her family, her country and even the world.
\nHerlinatiens does not want to be left behind in revealing the
\nsecrets of the magnet behind a woman's charms.<\/p>\n
Writing in a style in which she calls a spade, a spade, the
\nauthor tries to show in Jilbab Britney Spears that every woman
\ndreams of being respected in this wicked world.<\/p>\n
However, conveying female purity is not limited to young women
\nsimply placing a head scarf over their heads in the style of
\nBritney Spears, as is "understood" and "followed" by present-day
\nfemale role models. Even though their heads may be covered, their
\nnavels become exposed when they look up and their underwear are
\nlikewise exposed when they bend over.<\/p>\n
The teen protagonist in this novel, Sabrina, is not cut from
\nthe same cloth as these girls.<\/p>\n
Sabrina is described as a good-looking girl, perhaps because
\nshe is of mixed race -- she has a Caucasian father. He, however,
\nfor an unknown reason, has abandoned her mother to return to his
\nhome country.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Sabrina's mother, Mariam, is a career woman,
\nconsumed with her work and her dates with men. Despite this
\nbehavior, Sabrina respects her still, because she is her mother.
\nMariam, on the other hand, believes Sabrina brings her bad luck.<\/p>\n
The tone of the novel is sometimes pitying, as it presents
\nSabrina as an invariably lonely girl devoid of her mother's
\nattention and love. At first, she has neither friends nor a
\nboyfriend.<\/p>\n
One day, it strikes Sabrina that she should act slightly
\nsweeter so that she can find a confidante and move away from the
\nlabel of "loner".<\/p>\n
She develops a friendship with the smart and fussy Memey, the
\ndaughter of a durian vendor, which raises her self-confidence.
\nWith Memey, Sabrina can talk about everything that she had
\npreviously confided only to her diary.<\/p>\n
Sabrina goes down a winding road in her journey to love. While
\nshe has to gamble with the feelings of Reno, the cutest boy in
\nher class, she fights hard to defeat her rivals, all aggressive
\nin trying to attract Reno's attention.<\/p>\n
Memey is also secretly trying to steal Reno's eye, and in
\norder to do this, she tries to get Reno, Sabrina's classmate
\nduring junior high school, to date Sabrina.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, love smiles down on Sabrina, and she is doubly
\nrewarded: her love for Reno is returned, and her mother suddenly
\nbecomes interested in her and showers her with love. This last is
\nreally a miracle for Sabrina, because for nearly 16 years, she
\nhad been thought to bring misfortune to the family -- until then,
\nshe had never experienced a mother's love, although she came from
\na well-to-do family.<\/p>\n
Jilbab Britney Spears makes for a good read, as the plot flows
\nsmoothly, even with the inclusion of reflective thought. The
\ndialog, written fully in the younger generation's vernacular,
\nimmerses the reader in a variety of feelings, such as compassion,
\nanger and annoyance.<\/p>\n
The novel is obviously intended for young women who generally
\ndo not want to think about complicated matters, but it is also
\nsuitable for readers seeking entertainment in their free time.<\/p>\n
The attraction of this chick-lit lies particularly in the
\neloquent language of the writer.<\/p>\n
She successfully stirs readers' emotions so that they get
\ncarried away upon Sabrina's dreams of her ideal boyfriend and of
\nthe mother's love long lost to her. Of course, with such a
\nsubject, teenage girls will find this novel the stuff of dreams.<\/p>\n
The reviewer has contributed feature stories, book reviews and
\nshort stories to various media, including Koran Tempo and
\nRepublika dailies. She is currently undertaking book translations
\nin Malang, where she lives.<\/p>",
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