Conflict, Love, and Escaping

Written By : Riri Oktriani

Book Identity
Title : Saman
Author : Ayu Utami
Publisher : KPG (Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia)
Printed : 27 times (June, 2008)
Pages : 202 + ix

This novel wrote with no boundary by Ayu Utami. Setting in 1990, this novel telling about complications of women’s life who have strong character and different background. And also about the village lifes that unstabil and struggle because the community land would taken by a company. At that time, Saman appears—in the beginning his name was Athanasius Wissanggeni. He help village people to defend for their land. And for all of that, he’s leaving his status as pastur in the church at his hometown, Perabumulih.

Living in the village and become ‘soldier’ with the village people become the way of life that he choose. Eventhough that thing takes him to the risk dead or life. And the consequences is Saman just like a provokacator of village people. Saman himself still stand up for his faith and the people to defent their land.

The situation just can’t hold anymore, and conflict break out. Finally, Saman get caught. He’s lock on and tortured in a room, far from village. Escaping begins. Its bring him to his friends, four of women which he was known when he still a pastur. They are Yasmin, Laila, Cok, and Shakuntala. Then, Saman become wanted. When the disturbance in Medan occur, again, Saman was accused as ‘the power behind the scenes’. There’s no way. Saman have to escape to the other country. With helping of Cok who has her own hotel, and Yasmin, escaping to America were planed.

Ayu Utami creating the characters in this novel is just so interesting and complicated. Cover with no boundary of the story. Added with their own conflict which connecting each others. From Laila, a woman who fall in love to wrong man. First, she adore Wissanggeni or Saman, and finally she fall in love to him. But now, she fall in to Sihar, married man. And Yasmin, a lawyer who got married, when escaping of Saman, finally giving her heart to him. The two others, Cok, brave woman and has so many connections and also Shakuntala, struggle and always want to be a dancer.

But often, I personal think that this novel contain sentences that have to read over, and over again. Because, many conversation between characters has no sign. So, it’s little bit confusing, I think. Beside that, the sentences have to clearly understand by the reader because so many unusual grammar. But after all this story is unique. The conflict isn’t just happen between Saman and the company, but also personal conflict of the character which unspected.