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Nirzona
When Sidan’s family and village are swept away in the 2004 tsunami that ravaged Indonesia, he rushes home to Aceh, leaving behind Yogyakarta, his studies, and his beloved, Firdaus. Interrupting their plan to marry, Sidan promises Firdaus he will soon return to her side so they can spend the rest of their lives together.
But the unimaginable scale of loss and the political and cultural complexities that ensnare the recovery make it impossible for Sidan to abandon his birthplace and the graves of his family. Stoked by his love for Firdaus and their shared devotion to the poetic beauty of Islam, Sidan remains in Aceh, doing everything in his power to help the survivors while keeping in close contact with his beloved.
In spirit Sidan and Firdaus are one, but in body they are distant. Theirs is a love bonded in the transcendent fires of death and destruction, but is that enough to sustain the relationship?
But the unimaginable scale of loss and the political and cultural complexities that ensnare the recovery make it impossible for Sidan to abandon his birthplace and the graves of his family. Stoked by his love for Firdaus and their shared devotion to the poetic beauty of Islam, Sidan remains in Aceh, doing everything in his power to help the survivors while keeping in close contact with his beloved.
In spirit Sidan and Firdaus are one, but in body they are distant. Theirs is a love bonded in the transcendent fires of death and destruction, but is that enough to sustain the relationship?
- GenresFiction
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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522 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 16, 2017
Where,what,when.
Understood it was a love story of two different souls trying to unite through many obstacles but tried for the entire story, leaving the reader to ask, why did I waste my time and energy.
Understood it was a love story of two different souls trying to unite through many obstacles but tried for the entire story, leaving the reader to ask, why did I waste my time and energy.
November 19, 2016
This is a book of 2 love stories. One between Sidas and Firdaus. The second between Sidan and his land of Aceh.
The first story is ho hum.
The second about Aceh, it's relationship with the rest of Indonesia and the impact of the tsunami was well worth reading the book for (especially as the Javanese author was so empathetic with the Aceh people). I learnt a lot and it removed a number of perceptions I had.
The first story is ho hum.
The second about Aceh, it's relationship with the rest of Indonesia and the impact of the tsunami was well worth reading the book for (especially as the Javanese author was so empathetic with the Aceh people). I learnt a lot and it removed a number of perceptions I had.
January 9, 2019
Good love story. Easy read.
July 31, 2017
Sidan loved both his island and Firdaus and struggled to make a sacrifice to serve either completely. This book reminded me that are world is big and that there are many other places, poets, philosophies than the Euro-centric ones to which I have been predominantly exposed. Because of this, I missed many of the political, philosophical and poetic allusions throughout the book. I did get the deep love between Sidan and Firdaus and felt sad that technology or fate kept them apart. I also wonder how the rebuilding is going in tsunami stricken Indonesia.
Had it not been for Amazon prime free read, I would have never picked up this book. While I did not enjoy every page, I did feel I learned a little something.
Had it not been for Amazon prime free read, I would have never picked up this book. While I did not enjoy every page, I did feel I learned a little something.
May 20, 2017
Another Amazon freebie. I'm not sure if it was the translation or the story, but I found this book difficult to get through. The love story isn't particularly impressive and the obstacles throw in the way of the love birds seem ridiculous. On the other hand a redeeming aspect of the book is the discussion of Aceh's relationship with Indonesia's central government and the politics that surround it- which I previously knew nothing about and found fascinating. Overall it was a slog to get to the finish.
February 4, 2017
Tooooo loooong
I have a bad habit of finishing a book - no matter what. I look for the great ending that makes it all worth while.
Spoiler alert. Didn't happen. When I got Two-thirds through I was ready for the never-ending journey to end.
Beautiful poetic writing. Story could be consolidated.
I have a bad habit of finishing a book - no matter what. I look for the great ending that makes it all worth while.
Spoiler alert. Didn't happen. When I got Two-thirds through I was ready for the never-ending journey to end.
Beautiful poetic writing. Story could be consolidated.
May 14, 2018
In order to read this novel with any kind of understanding, one would have to know a good bit about Indonesian history, culture, language, etc. At this point, I don't possess that knowledge, so much of the book was incoherent to me. In broad strokes, it's a story about enduring love even when lovers are separated, as well as about loyalty to one's homeland & willingness to help in time of disaster.
July 6, 2021
I couldn't finish this story. I tried once, put it down, and came back to it, but still couldn't get into it. Perhaps it's the translation, but I couldn't find continuity in the narrative for most of chapter 1, then understand the time jumps as I read into chapters 2 and 3. I wanted very much to be able to read it but found it a chore and unenjoyable.
December 13, 2016
The story of the aftermath of the tsunami was interesting, but I found the love story off-putting. I could not seem to identify with characters well. The work after the wave was the best part of the story.
February 13, 2017
This is a classic case of "lost in the translation ". Along with the simple writing techniques, possible due to the skills of the translator, the weak story line added to the disappointment. Just like a lot of other reviewers, I finish books that I start. But, it was painful!
May 8, 2017
I found the writing style jumpy and awkward, and it was a bit of a chore to get through it, but there's lots of interesting background I didn't know about Indonesia/Aceh, and it's fascinating to read a story from a cultural perspective so unfamiliar to me.
September 10, 2017
I couldn't finish this book. It was too boring and it dragged on. I think this book has a lot of potential, especially since it's sharing the rich history of Indonesia. The author just needs to make the book more entertaining and the characters need to be built better.
June 11, 2018
I received a free kindle version of this book through GoodReads First Reads. Unfortunately, the book just was not for me. I found it slow moving and lacking in focus. I am not sure if the story just didnt translate well or what, but I ended up not finishing.
December 9, 2016
Loved
I really liked this book. It was a beautiful description of the pathway to love and beautiful land. I won this book through Goodreads
I really liked this book. It was a beautiful description of the pathway to love and beautiful land. I won this book through Goodreads
September 29, 2017
Nirzons
Parts of the book I really enjoyed portraying everyday life. I did not enjoy all the "philosophical" discussion. It dragged the story down.
Parts of the book I really enjoyed portraying everyday life. I did not enjoy all the "philosophical" discussion. It dragged the story down.
October 4, 2017
I did not read this book. I tried two different times, but I just could not get into it.
August 10, 2020
I tried to read this book twice. Just couldn't get into it. Very confusing. Not engaging. Fell flat for me.
January 25, 2017
I couldn't finish the book
October 26, 2008
Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam pasca-tsunami menyimpan sejuta cerita. Bencana akbar yang menghentak dunia itu telah merenggut ribuan nyawa penduduk Serambi Mekah, merenggut kecantikan provinsi di ujung utara Pulau Perca itu; memorak-porandakan alam dan kehidupan di sana seolah-olah masih belum cukup derita yang telah ditanggungnya selama ini. Seakan-akan sang bala bencana belum puas menyedot isi perut dan membuat kurus kering bumi kelahiran para Cut yang gagah berani ini.
Adalah Abidah El Khaleiqy, perempuan penulis asal Jombang, seorang yang gelisah resah menyaksikan semua kesengsaraan di Aceh. Ia lalu menumpahkan segala kegeramannya ke dalam novel paling anyar bertajuk Nirzona. Tema berat ihwal kondisi sosial politik di Aceh itu dikemasnya dalam kisah roman anak muda, sarjana kinyis-kinyis barusan lulus, Firdaus dan Sidan.
Berlatar belakang suasana Serambi Mekah pasca-tsunami, kisah cinta Firda-Sidan digelar. Bak panggung pertunjukan teater, kisahnya mengalir lewat dialog-dialog kedua pemeran utamanya ini. Dialog SLJJ Aceh-Yogya melalui sandek (pesan pendek/sms) dan pembicaraan telepon khas anak muda yang sedang kasmaran antara Firda dan Sidan mengisi sebagian besar halaman-halaman novel ini. Melalui dialog-dialog ini Abidah melontarkan kritik-kritiknya terhadap pemerintah pusat Jakarta, LSM, dan oknum-oknum yang mengaku relawan padahal hanya ingin ikut arisan nasional di Aceh; berebut rezeki yang seharusnya menjadi hak para korban tsunami.
Aceh memang tak putus dirundung malang, sejak zaman Kumpeni hingga kemerdekaan, selalu saja dirongrong; kekayaan alamnya diperas, dikuras, demi kepentingan Pusat. Sementara pemilik sahnya hanya kebagian remah-remah. Masih pula ditambah dengan “pendudukan” wilayah oleh militer Orba lewat DOM (Daerah Operasi Militer)-nya. Aceh dibuat menangis dan berdarah-darah sepanjang sejarahnya. Puncaknya adalah malapetaka besar tsunami.
Jika hendak menengok karya Abidah terdahulu yang memenangi sayembara penulisan novel DKJ, Geni Jora, Nirzona jadi tampak cair, kendati persoalan yang dikedepankan jauh lebih besar. Namun karena Abidah membungkusnya dalam kisah roman Firda-Sidan, tema “berat” itu berhasil disuguhkan dengan ringan dan liris. Ya, liris, salah satu hal yang juga cukup menonjol dalam novel ini. Yuk kita tengok contohnya :
Jikapun hanya mimpi jadi rumah berteduh, tak mengapa. Setidaknya ada tabir rahasia di wajah berdua. Tempat menata rindu mengasah senjata, dari keping mahaduka. Firdaus beranjak sofa menatap jam berdentang di ubun-ubun sunyi, 12 kali. Malam telah pergi dan pagi menyapa semilir di kisi-kisi jendela, meruap subuh dalam bayangan fajar baru (hlm.143)
Kita akan banyak menjumpai deretan kalimat liris puitis seperti itu. Hal serupa yang juga terdapat dalam Geni Jora meski dalam kadar yang lebih sedikit. Sekilas, gaya penulisan Abidah ini sempat mengingatkan saya pada mendiang Romo Mangun.
Firda dan Sidan yang menjadi nafas Nirzona adalah sepasang kekasih yang lantaran tsunami mesti terpisah jarak. Sidan harus kembali ke kampung halamannya di Aceh setelah gempa raksasa mengguncang dan menewaskan ayah ibunya. Sidan yang pada dasarnya berjiwa pemberontak harus meninggalkan Yogyakarta, tanah kelahiran keduanya, tempat ia menimba ilmu dan menemukan cinta pada seorang gadis cerdas teman kuliahnya, Firdaus.
Hubungan asmara “Laila dan Majnun” itu pun dilanjutkan via sms, telepon, dan email. Tak ada hari tanpa kirim-kiriman pesan dari keduanya. Pesan-pesan unik antara dua insan muda aktivis pemberontak yang sedang dimabuk cinta. Sidan yang asli Aceh serta Firda gadis berkerudung menggambarkan dari mana keduanya berasal (Islam), sehingga tak heranlah jika dalam taburan sms-sms itu mereka sering menggunakan kata-kata dan idiom dalam bahasa Arab, salah satu bahasa asing yang sangat akrab dengan penulisnya sebagai jebolan pesantren.
Firdaus dan Sidan kudu tahan menghadapi cobaan, terutama gelombang rindu yang menerpa-nerpa keduanya yang meminta untuk segera dituntaskan. Halangan perjumpaan itu bukan semata-mata jarak geografis Aceh-Yogya yang tak mampu diterabas, tetapi lebih karena Sidan merasa berkewajiban untuk tetap berada di tanah kelahirannya. Ia yang menjadi korban sekaligus juga harus berperan sebagai relawan bagi orang-orang di sana. Sidan tak akan sampai hati dan pasti malu hati jika hanya berdiam diri atau meninggalkan negeri hanya demi kepentingan pribadi, demi Firda sang putri.
Untuk itulah dia memohon agar sang kekasih bersabar diri hingga tiba hari ia akan meminang sang putri. Firdaus sangat mengerti, maka ia pun rela menanti. Baginya, tak ada lagi lelaki kecuali Sidan si romantikus sejati. Firda percaya Sidan akan selalu setia dan tak akan ingkar janji.
Maka, jadilah Nirzona novel kritik sosial berbalut kisah cinta atau (bisa juga) novel cinta berlatar belakang kritik sosial. Terserah Anda saja untuk memaknainya. ***
Adalah Abidah El Khaleiqy, perempuan penulis asal Jombang, seorang yang gelisah resah menyaksikan semua kesengsaraan di Aceh. Ia lalu menumpahkan segala kegeramannya ke dalam novel paling anyar bertajuk Nirzona. Tema berat ihwal kondisi sosial politik di Aceh itu dikemasnya dalam kisah roman anak muda, sarjana kinyis-kinyis barusan lulus, Firdaus dan Sidan.
Berlatar belakang suasana Serambi Mekah pasca-tsunami, kisah cinta Firda-Sidan digelar. Bak panggung pertunjukan teater, kisahnya mengalir lewat dialog-dialog kedua pemeran utamanya ini. Dialog SLJJ Aceh-Yogya melalui sandek (pesan pendek/sms) dan pembicaraan telepon khas anak muda yang sedang kasmaran antara Firda dan Sidan mengisi sebagian besar halaman-halaman novel ini. Melalui dialog-dialog ini Abidah melontarkan kritik-kritiknya terhadap pemerintah pusat Jakarta, LSM, dan oknum-oknum yang mengaku relawan padahal hanya ingin ikut arisan nasional di Aceh; berebut rezeki yang seharusnya menjadi hak para korban tsunami.
Aceh memang tak putus dirundung malang, sejak zaman Kumpeni hingga kemerdekaan, selalu saja dirongrong; kekayaan alamnya diperas, dikuras, demi kepentingan Pusat. Sementara pemilik sahnya hanya kebagian remah-remah. Masih pula ditambah dengan “pendudukan” wilayah oleh militer Orba lewat DOM (Daerah Operasi Militer)-nya. Aceh dibuat menangis dan berdarah-darah sepanjang sejarahnya. Puncaknya adalah malapetaka besar tsunami.
Jika hendak menengok karya Abidah terdahulu yang memenangi sayembara penulisan novel DKJ, Geni Jora, Nirzona jadi tampak cair, kendati persoalan yang dikedepankan jauh lebih besar. Namun karena Abidah membungkusnya dalam kisah roman Firda-Sidan, tema “berat” itu berhasil disuguhkan dengan ringan dan liris. Ya, liris, salah satu hal yang juga cukup menonjol dalam novel ini. Yuk kita tengok contohnya :
Jikapun hanya mimpi jadi rumah berteduh, tak mengapa. Setidaknya ada tabir rahasia di wajah berdua. Tempat menata rindu mengasah senjata, dari keping mahaduka. Firdaus beranjak sofa menatap jam berdentang di ubun-ubun sunyi, 12 kali. Malam telah pergi dan pagi menyapa semilir di kisi-kisi jendela, meruap subuh dalam bayangan fajar baru (hlm.143)
Kita akan banyak menjumpai deretan kalimat liris puitis seperti itu. Hal serupa yang juga terdapat dalam Geni Jora meski dalam kadar yang lebih sedikit. Sekilas, gaya penulisan Abidah ini sempat mengingatkan saya pada mendiang Romo Mangun.
Firda dan Sidan yang menjadi nafas Nirzona adalah sepasang kekasih yang lantaran tsunami mesti terpisah jarak. Sidan harus kembali ke kampung halamannya di Aceh setelah gempa raksasa mengguncang dan menewaskan ayah ibunya. Sidan yang pada dasarnya berjiwa pemberontak harus meninggalkan Yogyakarta, tanah kelahiran keduanya, tempat ia menimba ilmu dan menemukan cinta pada seorang gadis cerdas teman kuliahnya, Firdaus.
Hubungan asmara “Laila dan Majnun” itu pun dilanjutkan via sms, telepon, dan email. Tak ada hari tanpa kirim-kiriman pesan dari keduanya. Pesan-pesan unik antara dua insan muda aktivis pemberontak yang sedang dimabuk cinta. Sidan yang asli Aceh serta Firda gadis berkerudung menggambarkan dari mana keduanya berasal (Islam), sehingga tak heranlah jika dalam taburan sms-sms itu mereka sering menggunakan kata-kata dan idiom dalam bahasa Arab, salah satu bahasa asing yang sangat akrab dengan penulisnya sebagai jebolan pesantren.
Firdaus dan Sidan kudu tahan menghadapi cobaan, terutama gelombang rindu yang menerpa-nerpa keduanya yang meminta untuk segera dituntaskan. Halangan perjumpaan itu bukan semata-mata jarak geografis Aceh-Yogya yang tak mampu diterabas, tetapi lebih karena Sidan merasa berkewajiban untuk tetap berada di tanah kelahirannya. Ia yang menjadi korban sekaligus juga harus berperan sebagai relawan bagi orang-orang di sana. Sidan tak akan sampai hati dan pasti malu hati jika hanya berdiam diri atau meninggalkan negeri hanya demi kepentingan pribadi, demi Firda sang putri.
Untuk itulah dia memohon agar sang kekasih bersabar diri hingga tiba hari ia akan meminang sang putri. Firdaus sangat mengerti, maka ia pun rela menanti. Baginya, tak ada lagi lelaki kecuali Sidan si romantikus sejati. Firda percaya Sidan akan selalu setia dan tak akan ingkar janji.
Maka, jadilah Nirzona novel kritik sosial berbalut kisah cinta atau (bisa juga) novel cinta berlatar belakang kritik sosial. Terserah Anda saja untuk memaknainya. ***
May 9, 2013
Oke. Ini adalah buku kesekian yang aku lupakan dan aku ingat pada saat aku harus ingat. Diingatkan oleh si Dia karena Dia bertemu dengan penulisnya pada jamuan makan malam tadi malam adalah hal yang memalukan.
Aku yakin novel ini mengesankan, dengan tebal buku yang standar dan ukurannya yang seperti notebook. Really? Notebook? With keyboard on that? Hoho... Maksudku buku catatan. Begitu nyaman digenggam.
Oke, sekarang masuk ke cerita. Saking banyaknya cerita yang sudah kutonton, dan pasti kubaca, aku tidak ingat detail-detail cerita dalam novel ini. Yang pasti tentang kisah romantis dua anak manusia yang dipisahkan oleh jarak dan waktu dengan ke-minimalis-an (Serius, aku gak tau bagaimana menuliskannya) akses untuk saling berhubungan. Dilatari dengan peperangan di Aceh antara tentara pemerintah dengan Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (kalau tidak salah).
Menarik! Sungguh! Tapi bagi seorang anak manusia yang tidak mengerti sastra yang bahkan nilainya tidak lebih dari 80 pada pelajaran Bahasa Indonesia, itu merupakan hal yang tidak mudah. Mencerna segala bahasa yang ber-majas, oh, itu seperti mimpi buruk di malam hari. Aku dapat mengerti ceritanya, ya sedapat yang kubisa.
Untuk kalian yang memiliki nilai 90 pada pelajaran Bahasa Indonesia dan bahkan lebih, sangat disarankan membaca novel ini! Tetapi tidak untuk mereka yang "payah" dalam hal itu.
Aku yakin novel ini mengesankan, dengan tebal buku yang standar dan ukurannya yang seperti notebook. Really? Notebook? With keyboard on that? Hoho... Maksudku buku catatan. Begitu nyaman digenggam.
Oke, sekarang masuk ke cerita. Saking banyaknya cerita yang sudah kutonton, dan pasti kubaca, aku tidak ingat detail-detail cerita dalam novel ini. Yang pasti tentang kisah romantis dua anak manusia yang dipisahkan oleh jarak dan waktu dengan ke-minimalis-an (Serius, aku gak tau bagaimana menuliskannya) akses untuk saling berhubungan. Dilatari dengan peperangan di Aceh antara tentara pemerintah dengan Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (kalau tidak salah).
Menarik! Sungguh! Tapi bagi seorang anak manusia yang tidak mengerti sastra yang bahkan nilainya tidak lebih dari 80 pada pelajaran Bahasa Indonesia, itu merupakan hal yang tidak mudah. Mencerna segala bahasa yang ber-majas, oh, itu seperti mimpi buruk di malam hari. Aku dapat mengerti ceritanya, ya sedapat yang kubisa.
Untuk kalian yang memiliki nilai 90 pada pelajaran Bahasa Indonesia dan bahkan lebih, sangat disarankan membaca novel ini! Tetapi tidak untuk mereka yang "payah" dalam hal itu.
December 28, 2016
I wanted to love this story. I really did! I dance around 3 or 3 1/2 stars for it honestly.
I loved the fact that it was set in Indonesia. It's hard to find fiction in English set there. I love how the author described the beauty of Indonesia. She did a great job at building locations for the characters that readers can easily fall in love with. However. the actual character building has a lot of room for improvement. The characters didn't really do anything until the end so the climax felt like, "Finally! There's some conflict resolution." But I wanted to feel that way sooner. It started interesting and ended feeling odd. At first the characters were relatable and by the end, they felt stale. I am curious if this is due to translation errors from the translator. Perhaps it was hard to convey these things properly...or perhaps it was like this in the original work, I'm not sure.
I feel like her work has a lot of potential though so I am excited to see more work from her actually.
I loved the fact that it was set in Indonesia. It's hard to find fiction in English set there. I love how the author described the beauty of Indonesia. She did a great job at building locations for the characters that readers can easily fall in love with. However. the actual character building has a lot of room for improvement. The characters didn't really do anything until the end so the climax felt like, "Finally! There's some conflict resolution." But I wanted to feel that way sooner. It started interesting and ended feeling odd. At first the characters were relatable and by the end, they felt stale. I am curious if this is due to translation errors from the translator. Perhaps it was hard to convey these things properly...or perhaps it was like this in the original work, I'm not sure.
I feel like her work has a lot of potential though so I am excited to see more work from her actually.
January 7, 2017
I tried to read this for a month and couldn't get through it. The writing was really bad. I've been stuck at the airport for 5 hours with nothing to do yet I still couldn't get myself to read this. I'm not sure why anyone would publish this. The characters don't have any personality. And 'romance'? I didn't know why either person loved the other. It didn't talk at all about their history and the book gave me no reason to be invested in their story at all. Even when his mom died I felt nothing because it was so poorly written. I really tried since I got this book for free. But it was not worth my time in the least.
November 13, 2016
I enjoyed this story, more for its descriptions of life in Indonesia than the love story itself. I suspect I have learnt more about Indonesia from reading this one book than I have in years of watching news reports and I am left wanting to know more. The love story itself is actually pretty sweet, although through some of the dream descriptions, I did find myself re-reading a few lines because I had got slightly confused. Quite deserving of its four stars.
December 19, 2016
Did not finish.
I assigned a book in translation as the 2nd Quarter Independent Reading, and was hoping that this would be my opportunity to complete the assignment alongside them. I could not get past the first few chapters. The translation was stilted, the exposition was so sparse that it was nearly impossible to follow, and there was no hook to keep me reading. I really wanted to finish this.
I assigned a book in translation as the 2nd Quarter Independent Reading, and was hoping that this would be my opportunity to complete the assignment alongside them. I could not get past the first few chapters. The translation was stilted, the exposition was so sparse that it was nearly impossible to follow, and there was no hook to keep me reading. I really wanted to finish this.
December 28, 2016
I really tried to finish this book. I even made it to Firdaus' part where other reviewers said the book got better; it kind of did, but not enough for me to finish. If you appreciate incredibly slow build and your fiction more along the lines of rough poetry, then you may enjoy this story. It did encourage me to do research and expand my understanding of Indonesia.
December 31, 2016
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway on my kindle. This book is beautifully written and probably not something I'd normally read. The two main characters are in love and keep missing one another when they go to where the other one is living. I had a hard time getting into it at first but then enjoyed their love story as it transpired. Interesting read.
November 28, 2016
A beautiful but unfulfilling read
I loved the concept of reading the text messages between two lovers but the book developed extremely slowly and ended extremely quickly and abruptly
I loved the concept of reading the text messages between two lovers but the book developed extremely slowly and ended extremely quickly and abruptly
March 11, 2019
I had trouble following the story so I didn't enjoy the book. One of the very few. In fact the only one.
I just couldn't get into the. Story when he left her to go fighting.. so much of the language was foreign.
I just couldn't get into the. Story when he left her to go fighting.. so much of the language was foreign.
February 7, 2017
Very good book. I'd highly recommend it.
December 30, 2016
Terrible translation. I couldn't get through the whole thing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews