Imaginary City

by Rain Chudori

It was an eternally unfinished city, and yet it was indestructable. There is no certainty here, not for seasons and not for deep sentiments. That is why she has returned.

--

A restless young woman revisits the city where she was born, and encounters a man that she has known for years. The pair becomes involved in a brutally beautiful affair that inevitably binds them within the concrete of the city.

This is a story about a space that remains between him and her, a city that exists between the real and the imaginary, a love that lives between now and forever.

"Captivating."-- Aan Mansyur, writer.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Novels, Poetry, Young Adult, Short Stories, Slice Of Life

133 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 2017

About the author

Rain Chudori is an award-winning author, curator, and life-long nomad. She is the founder of Moment Studio & curator of Comma Books Publishing.

She has written Monsoon Tiger and Other Stories (2015), Imaginary City (2017), and Biru dan Kisah-Kisah Lainnya (2018). She is based in New Delhi, India but belongs everywhere. She is currently an artist in residence in New York.

Reviews

[Bojack · Rating 2 out of 5]

another teen/coming of age love story typical indie hipster jaksel who romanticizing a disrupt city. replace jakarta with another big city and the vibe of narrative still same. oh, and murakami-esque alias if you like murakami, this will be fit your cup of tea. not so depressive, but there is anxiety and loneliness things in this fiction. this book fit in your instagram feed too.

[raafi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magis. Entah kenapa aku merasa kesulitan membaca ini ketika siang hari atau suasana sekitar riuh. Yang kubutuhkan untuk membaca buku ini adalah malam atau dini hari bersama kesunyian mereka.

Magis. Buku ini seperti buku panduan ke tempat-tempat eksotis di Jakarta sekaligus catatan harian melankolis berdasar tempat-tempat yang disajikan tersebut.

Magis. Membaca buku ini seperti sedang mendengar percakapan dua sejoli secara intim namun asing. Sudut pandang orang ketiga dan tanpa deskripsi diri apa pun dari si perempuan dan si laki-laki membuat pembaca bebas membangun persona keduanya. Bisa jadi itu si pembaca dengan pasangannya atau calon pasangannya atau mantan pasangannya atau seseorang yang dipujanya sendiri.

Magis. Hampir dalam setiap setiap cerita, Rain memberikan petik-petik percakapan yang penting di antara dua sejoli yang mungkin bisa menginspirasi pembaca dalam kisah percintaan mereka.

Buku ini adalah petualangan seorang perempuan yang mengajak seorang laki-laki ke sudut-sudut kota bersama cerita-cerita mereka tentang tempat yang mereka kunjungi dan tentang melankolia yang terbangun di antaranya.

[Puty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the idea of collaborating beautiful love story with city guide. I think it's genius.
The stories, as I said, they are beautiful. If I were younger, let's say, 19 or 20, I probably would pick this enigmatic book as my favorite because it resonated very well. Unfortunately, I'm now older and unromantic, way too old for perfect conversation and easily irritated by couple who kiss each other too much.

[Alvina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satu kutipan yang saya suka.

"Everytime i fall in love, i always mistake the person as my soulmate. And then, as most things usually do. It ends. "

He looked at her then. "Do you always leave them?"
"Yes," she said. "The thought of being left is unbearable"

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

** Books 287 - 2017 **

3,4 of 5 stars!

I just love how she can bring out my sentimental feeling when i read one of this chapter "The Ice Cream Shop"

"Can you promise me something?" she said. He turned to her and took her hand

"When you leave, I am not going to look for you. But if one day, I call you, promise me that you won't pick up the phone"

"why?"

"Because I can't bear to hear your voice"

"Then why would you call me?"

"Because you're the only one who can tell me how to get home"

"Then how will you get home"

"I'll find a way.. I always do"

Terimakasih Scoop Premium!

[Maya Murti · Rating 3 out of 5]

"This film was made 63 years ago, but no matter when you wantch it, no matter how many times you watch it, no matter where you watch it or who you watch it with, it will stay the same. He will keep spilling the water on her dress. She will keep scolding him. We, the audience, will keep being helpless."

"And?"

"We keep moving. But, int the things we create lie the memories of the moments we stayed still," she said. "And I think that's much more beautiful."

Saya mendengar karya Rain Chudori ini dari sebuah Twitter Space. Di situ, ia mengobrol tentang buku ini bersama teman-temannya. Perkataannya yang saya ingat kira-kira begini: tidak apa-apa meromantisasi berbagai hal, dan terkadang malah dibutuhkan. Dan Imanginary City memang mencerminkan itu.

Bacaan ini sangat dreamy. Seorang penyair yang bertemu kawan lamanya yang sudah menjadi seorang arsitek di Jakarta, kemudian keliling-keliling kota bersama di malam hari. Mereka saling terpesona satu sama lain, si arsitek akan pemikiran si penyair yang aneh, dan si penyair yang tersentuh dengan kehadiran si arsitek. And then the heartbreak happened...

Ini memang cerita yang terbilang singkat, tidak sampai 200 halaman. Isinya tentang romantisasi tempat-tempat di Jakarta yang mereka kunjungi, dan sedikit menyinggung tentang kerusuhan 1998. Betapa Jakarta itu kota yang indah namun brutal, namun juga tidak bisa dihancurkan.

"We were doing what we were intended to do. We realized that we could not heal if we didn't destroy. We could not learn if we did not ruin. We could not live if we did not suffer."

Menurut saya, tulisannya bagus untuk ukuran ESL. Nggak gampang buat nulis dalam bahasa bukan bahasa ibu. Tapi saya merasa percakapan kedua tokoh masih bisa dipoles lagi, atau ditambah deskripsi gestur yang membuat antisipasi. Soalnya saya ngga begitu menangkap apa pesona dari masing-masing tokoh terhadap satu sama lain. What or why did he find her alluring, that made him approached her first? It's written in 3rd pov, the yearning and comfort for each other were not that transparent to me *grin with sweat emoticon*. Do I need to reread it? Probably...

[Shanya Putri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her writing is so beautiful. Loved it💘

[cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very charming little book!! I love it, love it very much.

What were our intentions?

In the beginning, it was happiness.

....

What is our intentions now?

Forgiveness.

The character 'she' was desperately romantic while unbelieveable obstinate. She knew what she wants, she knew the price, and still choose to do it. Not in the hard lonely way, but in the most hurt amorous passionate loving way. D*mn, if I had more courageous heart, I wanna be her. Or not.

It's just that I feel like this city has always stayed the same. It's beautiful and brutal at the same time.

The places she took him around made me a little nostalgic. Metropole and Ragusa hit me the most, 'coz that my fav place also. It's funny isn't it, how an old city like Jakarta, kept its best places it the mind of the lovers. Its lovers.



I've read Moonsoon Tiger before, while that anthology was also great, sometimes it felt raw and sparky. This story on the other side, was flowing calmly, restrained, and careful. Complex and complicated and sad and happy, all in the same time. I enjoy to see how growns up Rain has become. Sure wait for her next works.

#Scoop

[Denna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got my copy of the book from a giveaway by Rain Chudori herself. Got a handwritten, sealed-with-a-kiss postcard from her. She's just too precious <3

I relate to this on a very personal level. My heart aches as I read and devour every page. I then drowned in a familiar melancholia, the one that has enveloped me ever since I can remember. But no worries, as most of the time it is a beautiful kind of melancholia. Then as I close the book with a tinge of heartbreak, I ask myself, "What do I do after you?"

And with a long sigh, a bit of a heavy heart, but at the same time also a sense of relief, I know I have found the answer.

I'll live.

[unet · Rating 2 out of 5]

brief apology, but it's simply not my taste. if it sparks anything within myself, it's the urge to roll my eyes. cardboard characters, and the conversations feel like the author wants someone to deliberately quote them. it's like fitting 10 revelations about love, loneliness, and the way to be from various books in one chapter. now, don't get me wrong. reading recycled concepts could be fun, but not when you can feel that it's orchestrated:)

[Ursula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been waiting for Rain Chudori's new book since I finished reading Monsoon Tiger and Other Stories and this is an answer for my longing. Beautiful tragic affair between a young woman and man that took events in several Jakarta spots.

Rain rebuilt the Indonesian capital city through her stories; a dense, dirty, and stressful city turns into a melancholic stage for the couple in love (not sure if couple is the right term since those two prefer no strings attached). Dirty and heavily polluted Tanjung Priok could be a place to cleanse the main character's troubled soul. And Menteng, a neighborhood you probably pass everyday without paying any special attention to, is a place where angels visit the troubled pair.

Even though I prefer her previous work, this is still a good read. Rain went straight to the vulnerability in your heart, maybe awaken your memories of special places where beautiful moments pass by. But after separation, what will happen? Will the place keeps its charm? Rain said it best:

"I hate that I went to the most beautiful places with you," she said. "You are imprinted on every part of the city, and every turn I take will remind me of you."

[birds don't sing · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loooooveeee this book sm!! mulai dari chapter pertama the studio sampe terakhir tuh suka banget, some parts really hit close to home.

[Awal Hidayat · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I love the idea of the person you love being scattered all over the city. So if you miss them--and you will miss them--you can just go there and feel them"

Imaginary City reminded me about at least two things: Jakarta Jakarta (Kuntoaji's song) and Imaginary itself. Both of them made me thrilling to read this book after a long haul. Actually, it's a bit boring at the beginning. Yet, as I digged deeper, i found something magical and enticing.

See, the quote above instilled and convinced my belief about the sense of magic within certain places. They told us the memory without even saying. Just like the way the central character in the book remembrance her past memories through went around her hometown. Even I didn't really know all those spots, the provided details has been flying me to them.

The book taught me how to appreciate space, memory, and the persons we love. And, geez, i miss what I've been leaving for few months, Imaginary as well.

"There is something that you're carrying within you and perhaps it's time to forgive yourself and rest for a little while."

"Any pain you're carrying, any heartache you're enduring, can always be washed by the ocean."

"I don't think I had a lot of love for my self. I tied to love my self through others, but it was impossible. I realize now that I have to learn how to fulfill my self. I have to learn how to be loved from within it."

"Regardless of who you are, where you are, and what you have done, the sky will always be above you. The sky was the most lovilng and loyal part of the world."

"Everyone here is in a state of suspension. They re either in love, looking for love, or waiting for love. And it all begins by understanding each other."

[Faqih Al-Ghifari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hello, Rain. First of all, thank you for taking the opportunity to write this book. I know you worked hard for this even you’re a writer indeed, but a writer still needs great effort to complete their work. Good job, Rain. I just finished this book of yours. Well, i read this book because of my girlfriend (who i decided to take another chance with tonight). Everyone who reads this please wish me luck.

This book is literally a love letter for someone who left. It tells about love, hope, how feelings can be destroyed, try to repair, and try to find the reason why we were never fulfilled. Books like this are not my cup of tea to be honest. Probably because i’m way too old for perfect conversation. But this book is different. Is it possible that when i read it i imagined her so i felt more close to home? Probably yes. This book was captivating, i felt like i was drowning inside of the places that you wrote about. Your writings gave me the comfort that i’ve never felt before; some kind of writings that might hurtful, still can comforting me in the best way possible (once again, is it possible that when i read it i imagined of her—someone i love? Probably yes).

I'm bad at reviewing things. I know. So i’ve taken some quotes from this book that i loved. I’ll written them down: (P.S. >5 Quotes Means I Love It. <5 Quotes Is The Opposite)

1) ”There is something that you're carrying within you and perhaps it's time to forgive yourself and rest for a little while.” Page. 44

2)”You looked at me and I realized that somewhere within you there was a room that had been hidden for a long time. Sometimes it's called a secret, other times it's called the truth.” Page. 44

3) ”We should learn to love the things we fear.” Page. 62

4) ”And I realized then, any pain you're carrying, any heartache you're enduring, can always be washed away by the ocean.” – Page. 64

5) ”I’ve learnt that there is a reason for all of the things you do. However erratic or spontaneous it seems.” Page. 79

6) ”There’s a part of me that thinks if I retraced the places where I was the happiest, then I could relive a part of myself that does not exist anymore.” Page. 88

7) ”Because I have been in that moment. When Your entire Life seems to break apart in your own hands.” Page. 91

8) ”But we didn’t kiss.” ”But in my mind, we did.” ”So you write about lies.” ”No, I write about hope. We don’t have enough of them in the world.” Page. 117

The eight book quotes above will give you the answer to whether this book is worth to read or not. Next, from here on down, it’ll be my thanks to the person i mentioned earlier. My most important person, my missing puzzle piece, my lost mosaic, my half, my lifeline— and someone who made me read this book. This girl takes such good care of me. She’s more amazing than words can say. She’s my caretaker as well. Sometimes when my Luna does things and i literally lose my mind because how come i have such a brilliant, interesting, well read, pretty, lovable etc, etc, woman as my someone.

Well everyone say hi to Luna. Hi, Lun. Ini kakak. I don’t know if this is something you expected or not, but this is something i promised you yesterday. Since i’m really bad at expressing my feelings, i know. The only thing i can do to let you know that i love you is to write, or read a book. But it seems like i wrote you pretty too much, so i decided something a little different, i read a book because of you this time. I had read this book before the day i asked that question, so yes, i’ve prepared this a long time ago when we were still at the talking stage. That’s why i asked what date you love the most at that day biar aku ada deadline-nya dan nggak kemana2 until i finish the book. Tapi ternyata everything didn’t go according to plan, i just finished it today (past the deadline).

Baca buku saat nunggu sholat subuh kemarin adalah buku ini. Setiap aku bilang gitu aku berharap kamu nggak nanya buku apa soalnya aku pasti akan bingung jawabnya, tapi akhirnya hari itu kamu nanya juga. Aku nggak pandai ngelak, nggak pinter boong juga, nggak kepikiran jawaban yang lain so maybe at that time i made myself quite suspicious karna kamu udah mulai curiga. But thank God i’ve finished this book jadi aku nggak perlu ngelak lagi nanti.

I learned this from Ayah dan Ibu, by the way. In the past, Ayah once read a book about love because Ayah thought at that time he was not good at love and romance. But that day, the one who is not good at love finally fell in love. He didn’t want to make Ibu question anything about love, so he learned by reading all the love books he knew. Katanya biar nggak keliatan cupu-cupu banget dalam hal cinta. Even after that they both still always learn to love each other, cause love is always about learning. I guess, Ayah adalah aku sekarang. I haven’t been in love for so long that i forgot what it feels like. I also haven’t learned about love for a long time, what love is, how to love someone properly, and what needs to be prepared. Tapi aku nggak mau pas jadi pacarmu nanti adalah aku yang nggak tau cinta itu apa and don’t how how to love someone properly. Even, i know you’ll definitely want to wait for me to learn, still, i want to love you expertly. So i read this book. So that i can become a skilled lover, then love you. Probably after reading this, aku tetap bukan seseorang yang good at being a lover, but at least i have an idea of what love is like. Semoga habis ini aku bisa sayangin kamu dengan cukup, dan kamu juga sayang aku selalu.

This book not only taught me how to love someone, but how to deal with losing someone as well. I hate to say this but Lun, if one day we end up not being together anymore, i hope you know how to make peace & deal with that. But let’s stay together as long as possible and as every way we can. Last but not least, this book also told me that when you love someone, love that person fully before that person finally leaves.

Thankyou for being such a nice person which ultimately made me fall in love with you, Luna. Thankyou for seeing me, understanding me, and always being there. you’ve become such a big part of my life and who i am today. I’ll always cherish you, as someone who truly feels like home. Rasanya nggak ada sehari aku nggak ngerasa disayang dan diperhatiin sama kamu. i hope you had a lovely birthday. Thankyou for being such a wonderful and supportive figure that i could look up to and thankyou for being such a talented, hardworking, and caring person as well. I want to loved by you for longer so,

Let’s take a chance with me, Luna, will you?

[Filza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely gift from a lovely someone on my birthday and I would say that despite feeling that this is actually an intense read, this is also something I would recommend to other people as a light read.

At first, I thought the book would be about a travelling kind of books when I found the map inside it, but it turned out to be something more than that. The book revolves around places in Jakarta that keep meanings to the "she" of the book. This book took me to these places with two people in my company--the "she" and the "he". I was underestimating the story at first because I wasn't sure where it was going to take me to, but at last I can say that it eventually captivated me. I kind of feel like I now also see the places in this book as something meaningful because the book succeed in making me enjoying the journey. I wanted to know more about the "she" and the "he", and what's within them, but not anymore now. I know them just enough.

Oh, despite enjoying reading the writing in English, I'm kind of curious how the story would be written if it was in Indonesian. I imagine that it would be more poetic and melancholic than how it already is.

[Nura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm... ga tahu apa karena faktor usia atau apa, tapi buat gw buku ini ngeselin banget tokohnya. The girl is a self centered one, the man is so selfish. Sorry, I can't look pass that. Together they are one annoying couple. Not to mention they've been kissing any chance they've got. I don't know if its the way they expressed their love or something. But the city was beautifully portrayed and the places they visited, make me wanna retrace their steps. The cafe is also intriguing.

[Ramadhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My expectations were too high. There's only 2 characters and they are being difficult towards each other. The city itself not quite "imaginary" as I thought, so the plot was boring. She tried too hard to make the dialogues poetic, and the narration to beautiful lines...it just doesn't work out for me. Instead, I found they talk like midschool teenagers. I put 8/10 for the effort.

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is written in English but this review is in Bahasa Indonesia

Imaginary City bisa dikatakan sebagai salah satu yang cukup menggoda. Desain sampulnya yang cantik serita sinopsis yang disuguhkan makin mendorong rasa penasaran untuk menelusurinya lebih jauh. Nama Rain Chudori sudah tidak lagi asing. Apalagi jika terbiasa dengan tulisan-tulisannya di media massa, membaca Imaginary City bak sebuah pertemuan yang unik nan menarik.

Namun, jika baru berkenalan dengan Rain Chudori dari buku Monsoon Tiger, rasanya Imaginary City memberikan sedikit perbedaan dalam nuansa yang menjadi latar belakang cerita. Mood-nya menarik untuk diikuti, meskipun agak sendu.

Imaginary City berkisah tentang seorang perempuan yang bertemu (lagi) dengan seorang laki-laki. Dalam sebuah keadaan, mereka saling membahas masa lalu dan pandangan hidup. Perantaranya adalah beragam tempat, sebuah media penyampaian yang merangkai setiap peristiwa menjadi sebuah cerita.

Rain Chudori tentu memberikan tatakan pertamanya, mengenai hidup si tokoh perempuan. Dari situ, tokoh perempuan tersebut beranjak memperkenalkan tempat-tempat yang berkesan baginya. Rangkaian cerita pun dimulai. Tokoh laki-laki merespon, menantang pernyataan tokoh perempuan dengan pertanyaan yang terkadang bersifat fundamental.

Membaca Imaginary City menimbulkan sebuah perasaan yang tidak terduga. Awalnya, ketika Rain Chudori menyuguhkan setting awal, rasanya agak membosankan. Seakan latar belakang tersebut memang sudah sering menjadi bumbu-bumbu dalam kisah romansa. Tapi ternyata, semakin dibaca, semakin ingin tahu kelanjutan ceritanya. Tidak terduga bahwa nuansa dan emosi yang diberikan bisa mendorong supaya membaca hingga akhir.

Yang menarik lagi dari Imaginary City ialah Rain Chudori yang tidak hanya "menempelkan" tempat-tempat tersebut sebagai sekedar setting pendukung cerita. Malah, tempat-tempat itulah yang menjadi tokoh utama dalam buku. Setiap bab diawali dengan sebuah tempat. Dibuka dengan paragraf perkenalan singkat baru dilanjutkan dengan kisah sepasang manusia. Plus dilengkapi dengan sebuah booklet yang berisi peta dan keterangan singkatnya.

Memang agak sulit bagiku untuk membaca Imaginary City. Bagian awal cukup membosankan dan merasa bahwa buku tidak akan selesai aku baca. Kenyataannya malah sebaliknya. Buku ini cukup menarik dan semakin lama membuatku semakin ingin tahu nasib si tokoh perempuan. Berhasil, Imaginary City aku tamatkan dalam sekali perjalanan pulang dari Solo ke Jakarta menggunakan pesawat terbang.

Aku mengenal Imaginary City karena 2 orang kawan memberikan rating yang cukup bagus. Meskipun harga menjadi penghambat utama mengapa aku baru membacanya.

Imaginary City memang masih bersentuhan dengan kisah cinta bernuansa sendu. Akan tetapi, ada hal lain yang ditawarkan dan menjadi keunikan tersendiri untuk para pembacanya.

[Wahyu Novian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t quite understand the story of these lovebirds completely (for their secretive reasons and some unfinished sentences) but I definitely love how the author redefined the city. I was enchanted by melancholic depictions of the places which I don’t quite fond of in real life, *cough* the ice cream shop *cough*. I adore any stories which connect to the place, romantically. It gives me a new set of eyes when I stroll around the city.

”The night was dark and starless, with a gentle wind that stirred the trees that were tenderly planted by the talented hands of a landscape artist. Beyond the balcony there were skyscrapers, highways, and a bridge that had been in construction for more than a decade. It was an eternally unfinished city, and yet it was indestructible. Invincible against colonialists, against natural disasters, against mythologies. She loved every part of the city, the heat, the chaos, the intricacy of its consciousness, how it was constantly moving and expanding, yet not necessary transforming. But perhaps what she loved most was the honesty of the lights that clearly and carefully illuminated the most beautiful parts of the city.”

[Syifa Luthfianingsih · Rating 3 out of 5]

However difficult and painful much of the living might be, we will always have ice cream.

[Reza Oktri · Rating 4 out of 5]

mesmerizing, a memory recall of some places i had been visited many years ago with my loved ones

[Ainu Athifah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Consist of short stories that will make you miss Jakarta more. A nice one to be spent in your spare time.

[perpusaru · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me who loves romanticize Jakarta, this book is good lol. I'm truly honest, this kind of genre is so me (u,u)

[Ayunda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rain Chudori's short story collection, Monsoon Tiger and Other Stories was such an atmospheric and beautifully written book and one of my favourite books I read two years ago. So I managed to get this small novel of her recent release, expecting to read a similar story with fantastic writing that makes you wanna cry.

What I love about this book is its nostalgic feeling. I feel like Chudori managed to capture a unique version of Jakarta, a city I often visit although I live around an hour away from it. Added with her descriptive writing of the places are fun facts about the history of the places the characters visited, and the entire book was definitely focused more on the setting, with gorgeous pictures and capturing the essence of the location more than the things the characters did while in there.

Another thing I love was the writing, of course. Though at times a little too flowery and too over the top, I felt like this is what she really excels in, and it really shows how she can bring out a certain feeling or emotion through her words.

However this sophisticated writing style turns out to not be very kind on the characters. I felt like the characters in this book were a little too two-dimensional, and feels very personal, as if the woman in the book was a fictional, more dreamy-like version of the author herself. These characters do and say things that are very odd, things you'd never say in real life and sometimes just leaves me as a reader thinking, "???"

The plot of the book was also very slow. Granted, it is a love story and it is quite a short one. However most of the book was either filled with similarly noted conversations with questions and answers that don't really lead anywhere, that does evoke emotion and does sound beautiful, but does not really pull me to want to get to know the characters more or really enjoy the storyline.

Overall a nice, atmospheric read, very unique and wonderful writing. However not really something I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Natanael Christianto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jatuh cinta.

Mungkin dua kata itu yang cukup menggambarkan perasaan saya saat mulai membaca sampai menyelesaikannya. Saya suka banget bagaimana Rain menceritakan setiap tempat dengan baik, beberapa part terasa manis, dan bahasa inggris yang digunakan Rain masih mudah dimengerti. Tidak sabar menunggu karya Rain selanjutnya.

Oh iya, ada Taman Gajah dari buku Rain yang sebelumnya, lho. Jadi nggak ada salahnya buat baca buku pertama Rain sebelum baca yang satu ini.

[rika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet book with a pleasant disposition. This book makes my heart flutter, the background of the two characters is also unique, a combination that is rarely found. On the other hand, I really like the style of language in this book, the detailed explanation in every corner of the situation gives its own color.

[The Eod · Rating 4 out of 5]

aku suka banget sama konsepnya. Menggunakan latar-latar di jakarta sebagai pemeran utama daripada orang. Tulisan Rain sangat sederhana dan lugas. Cuma kekurangannya disini harusnya porsi latarnya agak dibanyakin hehehe. But its okey I love this book so much

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it

[Echa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saccharine words. The story is simpler than her previous book. It offers me nothing, though. It just feels empty, not loaded. Another tumblr-esque work that possibly will show on your Instagram feed.

[Sashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a young woman wanders through the city that’s more than just a place that accept her first cry to the world, she met a shadow of a man who lives with her memories. This is a story of an adventure of the past with a space between places and a dying love trying to be alive again.
*
Imaginary City is so unique in some way. It offers not only well crafted words, but also features an actual map-guide to the places mentioned in the book. That being said, the spots are a focal point of the stories as it’s carried the whole memories exchanged between the two main characters.

The book shows a series of dialogues that happened between humans that deeply in love, but also hurt by each other. The poetic and intimate languages are composed not solely to show how actual people talk about their feelings, but also showing the little actions that give us an impression of something more. The process of self-acceptance and forgiveness haunt every page, with each place that are meaningful to the characters will give you a philosophical outlook of their personal choices. I love how this book able to grasp the inner softness of a relationship, that the characters are not in a rush. They enjoy having their conversation, even when it could be easily deducted that they are having a trouble with themselves.

I like this book because it delivers the stories in such simplicity, but holding a jar of feelings beneath it. Although I must admit I’m not yet a fan of poem works, the words written felt so close to what I imagine falling in love must feel like.
Imaginary City is a book I read in January this year. I’m very much aware of the author’s published books, and it’s been so long since I put her first book on my list, but this book being the one available is a very good option! I admire her mother works, and now that I read Rain’s, I can’t get over how great both of their writings are.