#NickReads
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| Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney |
Identitas Buku
Penulis: Alice Feeney
Penerbit: Noura Books
Penyunting: Yuli Pritania
Penerjemah: RoseMia
Ilustrator Sampul: Olvyanda Ariesta
Tebal Buku: 365 hlmn
ISBN: 9786232424425
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Psychological Thriller
Fakta Menarik!
Tahukah kamu bahwa Alice Feeney sebelum menjadi penulis dia adalah seorang jurnalis dan “Rock Paper Scissors” ini adalah novel keempatnya. Novel ini juga akan segera diadaptasikan ke dalam serial oleh Netflix.
Mari Kita Ulas!
Batu Gunting Kertas — Cerita dimulai dengan sepasang suami istri bernama Adam dan Amelia yang sedang pergi ke tempat untuk bertamasya dan menginap. Saat itu cuacanya sedang badai bersalju yang sangat kencang, dengan mobil tua milik Amelia mereka menerjang badai penuh harap agar sampai tujuan dengan selamat.
Waktu berjalan dengan cepat, entah bagaimana mobil tua tersebut berhasil bertahan di tengah badai besar ini. Namun, tentunya kebahagiaan hanyalah sesaat, bensin mobil tersebut sudah hampir habis dan mereka mulai panik untuk mencari tempat tujuan mereka menginap. Beberapa menit kemudian mereka menyusuri jalan mereka melihat ada sebuah kapel tua dengan tanda tulisan “Kapel Blackwater” dan Amelia mengkonfirmasi bahwa tujuan mereka adalah kapel tua tersebut.
Kapel Blackwater adalah kapel tua dan terpencil di tengah-tengah badai salju yang sangat besar. Adam merasa curiga kepada istrinya ‘kenapa malah menginap di kapel tua begini’ pikirnya. Lalu Amelia menjelaskan bahwa dirinya mendapat undian dari tempat kerjanya dua buah tiket berlibur dan menginap gratis di kapel tua ini, Amelia bahkan tidak menyangka kapel ini di tempat terpencil dan tidak ada sinyal sama sekali.
Tidak ada pilihan lain karena bensin mobilnya sekarat dan badai salju semakin lebat maka mereka berdua berusaha bersantai di kapel tua tersebut, tentunya mereka sebelum itu sudah mengecek ruangan-ruangan di kapel tersebut. Banyak ruangan yang terasa aneh bagi mereka, mulai dari ruangan pendingin bawah tanah yang menyimpan banyak makanan kaleng dan anggur-anggur mahal hingga kamar tidur yang desainnya sangat mirip dengan kamar rumah mereka. Di satu sisi kapel Blackwater ini terlihat memang diurus dan dihuni oleh seseorang tapi di sisi lain mereka seperti diamati oleh sesuatu.
Opini Nick🙋🏻♂️
Ini novel bener-bener ngasih twistnya di akhir secara beruntun jadi bagi kalian yang baca dan mungkin kerasa agak bosen di awal maka bersabarlah haha. Tapi justru aku malah suka yang begini, alias detail dijelaskan apa yang terjadi sama karakter-karakternya, masa lalunya, traumanya, bahkan karakter sampingan yang nantinya berperan sangat besar di kelanjutan ceritanya. Hal-hal detail di novel misteri yang seperti ini menurutku bikin twistnya meledak dengan sempurna sampai bikin “Haahhhh seriusan” hahaha, tapi itu beneran kejadian di novel ini.
Kita bahas dari segi tulisan dan penulisannya, menurutku hasil penerjemahannya bagus banget; mudah dicerna, dan terkadang memakai teknik borrowing dan menjelaskan maknanya di catatan kaki jadi aku sebagai pembaca juga dapet banyak informasi baru atau kalau di novel ini kosakata yang baru. Ya, di novel ini setiap surat yang ditulis sama si istri ada kosakata barunya jadi untukku yang suka dengan bahasa ini merupakan hal yang bermanfaat dan kusuka.
Tapi sayang dan tetntunya ada hal yang kurang dalam novel ini. Pertama, ukuran font dalam novel ini kecil-kecil jadi kadang bikin sakit pas baca, kalau ukurannya agak diperbesar sedikit lagi menurutku akan sangat baik. Kemudian dari alur cerita aku agak kecewa karena bagian misterinya terkuak dan harusnya pembunuhan terjadi detailnya malah tidak dijelaskan, aku sendiri pun tidak mengetahui kenapa malah hilang detailnya.
Rating dari Nick!
5/5⭐️
English Version | 🇺🇸
Fun Fact!
Did you know that before becoming a novelist, Alice Feeney worked as a journalist, and Rock Paper Scissors is her fourth novel. This book is also set to be adapted into a Netflix series soon.
Here Comes the Review!
Rock Paper Scissors — The story begins with a married couple named Adam and Amelia who are heading out on a getaway and planning to stay overnight. At the time, a heavy snowstorm is raging, and they push through it in Amelia’s old car, hoping they can reach their destination safely.
Time passes quickly, and somehow the old car manages to survive the massive storm. But the relief does not last long. The car is almost out of gas, and they start to panic while trying to find the place where they are supposed to stay. A few minutes later, they spot an old chapel along the road with a sign that reads Blackwater Chapel, and Amelia confirms that this is their destination.
Blackwater Chapel is an old and isolated building in the middle of an intense snowstorm. Adam immediately feels suspicious and wonders why they are staying in a place like this. Amelia then explains that she won a free vacation and overnight stay from her workplace, and she had no idea the chapel would be so remote with no signal at all.
With no other option because the gas is almost gone and the snowstorm is getting worse, they decide to settle into the chapel. Before relaxing, they explore the rooms inside. Many of the spaces feel strange to them, from an underground cold storage room filled with canned food and expensive wine to a bedroom that looks eerily similar to the one in their own home. On one hand, Blackwater Chapel seems well maintained and clearly lived in by someone. On the other hand, it feels like they are being watched by something unseen.
Inside Nick’s Mind🙋🏻♂️
This novel really delivers its twists back to back at the very end, so if you feel a bit bored at the beginning, just be patient haha. Personally, I actually like this kind of story. Everything is explained in detail, what happens to the characters, their pasts, their trauma, and even side characters who later play a very important role in the story. Details like these in a mystery novel make the twists explode perfectly and genuinely make you go “wait what seriously” hahaha, and that honestly happens in this book.
Talking about the writing and translation, I think the translation is really good. It is easy to understand, and sometimes it uses borrowing techniques and explains the meaning in footnotes. Because of that, I learned a lot of new things, especially new vocabulary in this novel. Every letter written by the wife includes new words, so for someone like me who enjoys language, this was really enjoyable and useful.
Furthermore, there are still some downsides. First, the font size in this novel is quite small, which can make your eyes hurt while reading. I think it would be much better if the font were slightly bigger. Then in terms of the plot, I was a bit disappointed because when the mystery is finally revealed, the details of the murder are not really explained. I was confused about why those details were missing.
A Star From Nick!
5/5⭐️
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