*****
The Book of Forbidden Feelings – Lala Bohang
PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama / 2016
"I wanted to say, ‘I would love
to know your obsessions, is it landed house, gadgets, power, domestic life,
succulent plants, achievements, money, work, more likes and followers, health,
validation, sex, organic food, pets, perfect selfies, children, sports,
religion, relationships, minimalism, perfection, muscles, urban toys, shoes,
traveling, or fame?’ But nobody is prepared for that kind of question on a
first date. So I said, ‘You look great.’”
If you have known the writer personally, have ever seen her
illustrations, or simpler as following her on her social media(especially
Instagram, with username @lalabohang), maybe you won’t be strange with this
book, and the emotions you feel when you read it.
Yes, with her monochromatic illustration – always use the character of short-hair
girl (I bet it as visualization of herself) – and the writing’s content which
having a dark impress, or precisely gloomy, I’m sure you’ll be drawn into the
mixed-feeling’s stream and also the things we think about the most but we talk
least:
about our existence in this world, our insecurity with everything even
with ourself, our necessity which never in line with our unpreparedness in
order to become adult, some failure on interpersonal relation (of course it
hurts) because of nothing but our inner-complicacy.
and every pop-phenomenon that make us think, like, ‘Oh, dia bisa nulis gitu juga, ya, padahal kayaknya hidup dia oke-oke
aja.’ ( ‘Oh, my, she can writes something like that. I thought her life was
perfect.’ )
Well, there is a writing I really love:
Courage died everyday. When I
decided to stop looking for more and started looking for nothing. I finally
realized less is not always more and more is not always less. So, what to
settle for? Women and men have been living side by side on earth since the
beginning. Breathing the same air but always wanting different things in life.
Woman want safe companionship. Men want experimental companionship. Women want
all nice things in life. Men want all nice looking creatures in the world.
Women want polite sex. Men want wild sex. Since then women and men always seek
for intersection between their needs. Trough relationships, trough marriage,
trough parenthood. “Theoretically you’re perfect. It’s just that women and men
don’t have any intersection. (Page
74)
Although in the end of the book she said that this book is not a
motivational book, but I’m sure behind these 147 pages of Lala’s pouring of
heart which really feels like it belonged to my bestfriend, Lala gave some
short messages for reader through her perspective to sensing the world and the
life itself.
For all the illustrations, if you are the fans of contemporary art, you
will love it! And if you are confuse whether buy this book or borrow from your friend
– or even merely read in the bookstore – trust me, when you put the book on
your bookshelf, you will make an impression as an artsy-person to people who
sees it.
Regards,
yuralasari
PS: I read and wrote
this review on a rainy afternoon of windy September, and in the moment when I
have experienced some exhausting emotions – in the romantic context
. And I felt like I’d got friend
at the time.
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