"Staying Together"

Nathania Carissa Vida Octaviani (392020032) 

February 22th, 2021 

Introduction

"Staying Together" is a romance fiction novel by Judith Wilson. The book was first published by Cambridge University Press on March 22th, 2001. 

Judith Wilson is a London-based writer and journalist. She graduated with Distinction from the MA Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London, in 2019. She is the author of 14 books on design. Judith is working on her first novel, set in London in the 1860s. She won 1st prize for the London Short Story Prize 2019 and 1st prize for the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition 2017 in the USA. Judith is also an interiors writer and lecturer. 

The name of the illustrator is not listed in the book. I read this book in goodreads.com and the e-book is only available for 80 pages. So, I have completed the 80 pages. I choose to read this e-book, because I like novel with the romantic genre. 

The Setting 

The story takes place in Japan. Japan is the place where Ikuko & Hiroshi live and Japan also the place where they meet and fall in love with each other. 

Japan is an island country in East Asia, located in the northwest Pacific Ocean. It is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south.

(Source: https://japan-magazine.jnto.go.jp/en/special_toto03.html)

Besides Japan, the story takes place in Zambia too. Zambia is the place where Bernard has to live with his children. Zambia, in southern Africa, is a landlocked country of rugged terrain and diverse wildlife, with many parks and safari areas. On its border with Zimbabwe is famed Victoria Falls – indigenously called Mosi-oa-Tunya, or "Smoke That Thunders” – plunging a misty 108m into narrow Batoka Gorge. Spanning the Zambezi River just below the falls is Victoria Falls Bridge, a spectacular viewpoint.

The Characters 

The main character of this story is Ikuko Kanazawa and Hiroshi Masuda. Ikuko is an office worker in Tokyo and Hiroshi is Ikuko's boyfriend. 

Ikuko is a kind girl and a caring person, but she gets bored quickly, especially with whether she live the job she is doing and also a relationship that she has with someone. Meanwhile, Hiroshi is a kind man, wise man, very caring person  and very loyal to his partner. 

The Plot 

The year is 2000. Ikuko Kanazawa, a 23-year-old Japanese girl, is unsure about the prospect of marrying her boyfriend, Hiroshi. She wants more experience of travel and goes to England, to improve her English, promising Hiroshi she’ll marry him when she returns. Life abroad is daunting at first, as she notes in her diary, but she settles into the new routine. At the student hostel, she goes to the photography club, where she meets Zambian photographer, Bernard Chiluba, whose work she admires. Later, she has a chance encounter with Bernard, who shows her round the city. There is a mutual attraction. Bernard realises she plans to marry, but Ikuko is now unsettled – he is so different from Hiroshi. Soon, Lucretia, a fellow student, suspects they are more than friends.

Ikuko goes on a photo club trip to the countryside with Bernard. While returning, a van crashes into the minibus. The driver is hurt but Bernard saves Ikuko from injury. Back at the hostel, after the traumatic events, Ikuko is upset. Bernard comforts her, and they end up spending the night together. In the morning, they have to talk. Neither regrets what has happened, but Bernard reveals he is a single parent, with two children, and Ikuko tells him about Hiroshi. Ikuko is confused about the future, and later confesses all to Hiroshi, who is hurt.

Bernard has to leave for Zambia – his children have been abandoned by his estranged wife. Meanwhile, Ikuko, disillusioned with study, returns to Japan. Three months pass till she hears from Bernard. Their letters to each other had gone astray. She gladly accepts his offer to visit Zambia. There, she adapts to life in rural Africa, keeping house and looking after the girls. Although in love with Bernard, she fails to adjust completely to the new life and culture and eventually returns to Japan.

Conclusion 

Actually, this story is divided into two sections.

First is Ikuko’s story. She is a main character and is going to marry. And she goes to England to develop her English and meets Bernerd who is an African student in England. Then, they became attracted to each other. However, their position are very difficult to be in love.

 The other story is Joyce and Taka’s story. Joyce are very famous media-scientist but she is unfriendly. So Taka does not like her very much except her presentation. One day, he rescues her when she steps on stonefish. After that, their mental distance lessen quickly.  In fact, they have suprising in common.

 When I read this book, I could not undestrand very much. Who is Joyce? Why did the story change in the middle of story? However, I can understand second times. This story is consisted of Ikuko’s past and present. In addtion, it have profound implication. What would you do if you love the person who you must not be in love? Do you believe your destiny? I think I want to believe my destiny because life is easy system but it seems to be complicated. So, for me, I like this story and I recommend many people who believe their destinies to read this book.

"The Invisible Man"

Nathania Carissa Vida Octaviani (392020032)

February 15th, 2021 

Reading Diary - Entry 5 

    

     Introduction 

  "The Invisible Man" is a science fiction novel by H.G. Wells. Originally serialized in Pearson's Weekly in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a scientist who has devoted himself to research into optics and who invents a way to change a body's refractive index to that of air so that it neither absorbs nor reflects light. He carries out this procedure on himself and renders himself invisible, but fails in his attempt to reverse it. A practitioner of random and irresponsible violence, Griffin has become an iconic character in horror fiction. The name of the illustrator is not listed in this book. I read it in books.google.co.id and the e-book is only available for 120 pages. So, I have completed the 120 pages. I choose to read this e-book, because I was interested with the title and the cover of the book. 

    The Characters 

Griffin
He is the Invisible Man. Primarily an albino college student, he changes his area of study from medicine to physics and then becomes interested in refractive indexes of tissue. While studying, he stumbles across formulae that would make body tissues invisible. Finally, he successfully tries the formula on himself and thinks about all the things he could do if he were invisible. Sadly, the positives are far outweighed by the disadvantages, so Griffin starts opting for crime as a means of survival.

Mr Marvel
This is the first character that Griffin makes his assistant and uses as a partner in crime. Mr Marvel is a short, fat loner who is the area tramp. Griffin thinks that he stupid and so trusts him by believing that he will not be believed even if he tries to tell anyone about his predicament.

Dr Kemp
Griffin’s former associate from his college days. As students, Griffin was aware that even Kemp was keen about strange and idiosyncratic aspects of science. Griffin actually goes to Kemp’s house in his final attempt to find an accomplice and start leading a more normal life. Kemp; however, does not have a sense of loyalty to his former student and is not willing to be a part of Griffin’s grand schemes. He is also quite cunning and lands up betraying the invisible man by pretending to support Griffin’s experiments.

     Plot

In the story of The Invisible Man, a mysterious man goes to a village called Iping, which is in the middle of a snowstorm. He then stays in an inn that is owned and run by the husband and wife George and Janny Hall. They ask him to not be worried about the storm, so he goes to his room with his luggage. This man’s name is Griffin, a scientist, who usually spends his time in his room experimenting with different chemicals and formulas.

He is an introverted guy, which becomes a huge problem as he lives in a town where the there is a lot of gossip.

Griffin goes outside at night; however, be keeps himself completely bandaged up and wears a fake nose. The villagers think that he is very peculiar, especially because there are suddenly weird break-ins and a lot of robberies start happening in the village. But things become worse when the owner Janny Hall asks him to pay up his overture rent or leave. So, he gets depressed and frustrated, taking off all his bandages and clothes and manages to disappear into the night with his invisibility tricks.

Griffin then forces Thomas Marvel, a tramp, or migrant worker by profession, to become his assistant. But Marvel betrays him and takes him to the police, so Griffin runs away again. The Invisible Man beats them up and wreaks some major havoc while leaving.

While he is on the run again, Griffin happens to meet Dr Kemp, his old acquaintance from medical school. Griffin then tells his friend Kemp about his experiments with invisibility. He also tells him how he has made plans to terrorize England by using his discovery of invisibility. Here’s the gist of what he tells him: he was poor and was desperate to study invisibility, so he steals money from his father, who later commits suicide (it’s not revealed why he does that). Finally, Griffin gets a grip of the idea of invisibility and proceeds to do these things: (1) set his landlord’s building on fire; (2) wander around London; (3) rob a department store; and (4) wear a ridiculous outfit hired from a theatrical costume shop and go to Iping for work, but soon Kemp realizes that Griffin has gone berserk, and hands him over to the police.

But Griffin still breaks through the police line and starts chasing Kemp into the town. But unfortunately, the locals get hold of Griffin and kill him. At the end of the story, it is revealed that Marvel has saved all the notes  written by Griffin in his room at the inn, but luckily, he can’t make heads or tails out of them.

    Conclusion 

 I thought Wells did a good job building up the eerie atmosphere that is prominent throughout the story. Actually, the atmosphere is the star of the book as none of the characters resonated with me and the storyline, which mainly consisted of wrecking havoc for havoc's sake, was not very inspired. The story itself is also quite funny, I thought and many of the scenes played in my mind as slapstick. 

However, one could certainly tell that Wells is a master storyteller, and I find myself engrossed in the story for several chapters (mainly at the beginning and end). I also found the period details in the book very interesting.

So, I recommend this book for those of you who like books with the mystery, horror, and thriller genres. this is a very exciting book for you to read.

"One Day"

Nathania Carissa Vida Octaviani (392020032)

February 8th, 2021 

Reading Diary - Entry 4 

Introduction 

“One Day” is a romance fiction novel by David Nicholls. The book was first published by Hodder & Stoughton in United Kingdom on 11 June 2009. The name of the illustrator is not listed in this book. In fact, this book has 448 pages. However, because I don't have the original book, I only read it through the e-book. I read it in English e-Reader.net and the e-book is only available for 76 pages. So, I have completed the 76 pages. I choose to read this e-book, because I was interested with a romantic novel genre. 

The Setting 

The story takes place in London, United Kingdom in 1988. In this story, many places are told  in London, especially the University of Edinburgh where Emma and Dexter met. 

London is the capital and largest city of England and Great Britain. The city sits on the River Thames in southeast England, at the end of an 80-kilometer estuary that leads to the North Sea. 

The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1582, is the sixth oldest university in Great Britain and the English speaking world and one of the ancient universities in Scotland. The university has five main campuses in the city of Edinburgh, which include many important historical and architectural buildings such as those in the Old City. The university played an important role in Edinburgh being a major intellectual center during the Scottish Enlightenment, contributing to the city being nicknamed "Athens of the North". 

    University of Edinburgh 

   Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/University-of-Edinburgh

The Characters 

The main character is Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew. They are best friends. 

Actually Emma is a pessimistic person but she becomes an optimist when she has gone through some difficult realities. She can also get up and survive until she can become successful. Likewise with Dexter, when he already shone as a TV presenter, he was faced with a decline in his popularity so that he was in a slump. However, they can be strong through it all because they always share stories and always encourage each other.

Dexter's character is special, because he keeps his commitment as Emma's best friend who always supports him and he never asks for a more relationship. The twists and turns of Dexter's life are well described. We can be annoyed and pity with his life.

Plot 

Dexter and Emma spend the night together following their graduation from the University of Edinburgh, in 1988. They talk about how they will be once they are 40. While they do not become romantically involved completely, this is the beginning of their friendship. The novel visits their lives and their relationship on 15 July in successive years in each chapter, for 20 years.

Emma wants to improve the world, and begins writing and performing plays, which remain unsuccessful, while Dexter travels through the world, drinking and hooking up with women. Eventually both move to London, where Emma becomes a waitress in Kentish Town, at a Tex-Mex restaurant, while Dexter becomes a successful television presenter.

While there are various attempts from both sides to start a relationship, coincidences stop Emma and Dexter from getting together, and while they have relationships with other people, they remain best friends, each secretly longing for the other. They are drawn closer through a holiday together and the death of Dexter's mother.

Emma breaks up with her boyfriend, Ian, after realising she is creating a life with someone she doesn't love. During this time she is able to find a job as a teacher, after various years of struggle, despite having a "double-first degree". Dexter, meanwhile, develops a drinking and drug problem, and watches his career collapse.

Emma and Dexter's friendship grows increasingly difficult after Emma is constantly hurt by Dexter, who attempts to hide his feelings for her from both her and himself. Finally, after being treated rudely by Dexter at a restaurant, Emma breaks up the friendship.

At the wedding of Emma's former roommate, Emma and Dexter meet again. Emma admits that she wants Dexter back. At this juncture, she has just ended an affair with the headmaster of the school she teaches in, and Dexter has fallen in love with another woman, Sylvie, who is pregnant. At this reunion, Dexter invites Emma, who is disappointed by the situation, to his wedding.

Emma tries to overcome her problems and begins to write, while Dexter is unemployed and overwhelmed by his role as a father after his divorce from Sylvie, who was having an affair. Emma leaves to go to Paris in the hope of writing a sequel to her first successful children's novel. When Dexter visits her in Paris, he learns that she has met someone and likes him, and for the first time admits his feelings to her. After talking about their relationship, Emma chooses Dexter.

Emma and Dexter form a relationship, are happy together, and get married, but Emma wants a child. The couple finds themselves frustrated by their failing attempts to have a child. Dexter, however, is able to open a deli-café and finds himself on his way back to being successful.

On the anniversary of the day they met after graduation and the day they got together, Emma and Dexter have an appointment to see a house. While travelling there, Emma has a bike accident and dies. After her death, Dexter finds himself in despair. He starts to drink again and provokes people in bars to get beaten.

He is comforted by his ex-wife Sylvie, his father, and his daughter. Three years after Emma's death Dexter travels with his daughter to Edinburgh, where he and Emma met, and they climb the same hill together that he and Emma climbed 19 years earlier.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the story of this novel actually is a little bit complicated, but ya, I love this novel and I recommend this novel to all of you, eventhough this is a sad ending story. This novel teaches us to appreciate the existence of the person we love while she/he is still around and love him/her sincerely.