'Jendela-Jendela' no vision of clarity

Jendela-Jendela (Windows); By Fira Basuki; PT Grasindo, Jakarta, 2001; 154 pp

JAKARTA (JP): Do not judge a book by its cover, the old cliche goes. But in the case of Jendela-Jendela, do not judge it by the blurbs on the back cover.

The latter were written by noted and respected authors Arswendo Atmowiloto and Sapardi Djoko Damono. Both were surprisingly polite and gave comments more positive than this virtually unreadable book deserved.

And that is notwithstanding the fact that Fira Basuki, 29, has an impressive curriculum vitae.

The Surabaya-born writer graduated from Pittsburg State University's School of Journalism in Kansas, the United States., where she also earned her master's in public relations.

During high school in Indonesia, Fira often won writing competitions, including some sponsored by Tempo magazine and the University of Indonesia.

She has worked as a reporter at Dewi women's magazine, a contributor for several Kansas-based newspapers, an anchor woman at a local television station in Pittsburg and also as a producer/presenter at Radio Singapore International.

The setting of Jendela-Jendela is those cities in which Fira has lived: Jakarta, Pittsburg and Singapore.

The story is about the rich, pretty and smart, although spoiled June Larasati Subagio goes to study in Pittsburg, a small town in Kansas.

She meets and dates a fellow rich kid, Aji, who turns out to be abusive. June leaves Aji and transfers to neighboring Wichita State University, where she meets her future husband, a Tibetan named Jigme Tshering.

When Jigme gets a job in Singapore, the couple move there and soon face financial problems because Jigme's salary is too small and he can only afford a small apartment in a bad area.

The couple soon drift apart and June has an affair with Jigme's best friend, Dean.

Fira is a fluent storyteller, despite a writing style that resembles the articles found in teen and women's magazines.

But what is the focus of the book? The obstacles Indonesians face living abroad? Adultery? The life of rich kids studying in the States? Religious conversion?

Everything is mixed up here and Fira jumps from one scene to the next.

There is so much information and so many stories stuffed into the first several pages of the book that you will know almost everything about June's life from the beginning.

Fira also has a penchant for stating the obvious, such as "My parents are rich, while Aji's parents are tycoons", as if every Indonesian can send their children abroad to study.

There is just no space for the readers' imagination in this book.

On the other hand, many things are left unexplained and characters are not well developed. Fira at first makes us think June is an innocent young woman, but then she inexplicably turns into a sex goddess.

Fira also makes use of ridiculous euphemisms. "Personal equipment", huh? Where does the penis go?

And it must be sex that she is talking about when she writes about a husband and wife's relationship, or forbidden relationship.

There are actually many interesting things that Fira mentions in the book, like how Indonesian students in the United States, while rich, live under huge debts.

Or the cafe in Pittsburg where customers have to write poetry and put it in a gourd.

Unfortunately, these things are not well explored and exploited, leaving the book with a lack of emotion.

The ending is the most disappointing part of the book, with Fira leaving it dangling, completing the already unfocused plot. (Hera Diani)