My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book is filled with stories of hard work and persistence, fueled by warmth and strength of a family of 7. It is inspiring indeed to read about the struggle of a boy brought up in Batu, Malang in reaching his dream in education. When finally he got his way to attend university and graduate, all the efforts that his family made were paid off. He was hired by a good company in Jakarta, moved once, but then recruited again by his first office, which is a US-based company, to work in New York. What seems to be a dream-come-true journey for the readers is clearly had to be exchanged with tears and sweat on the process.
It is interesting when the chapters start with a scene, which introduce the presence of a little boy in a typical Indonesian elementary school uniform, white shirt and red short trousers. I immediately guessed he is the childhood version of the current adult character. Both of them interacts intensively throughout the book until the end. However, this imaginary, yet true, character is not defined strong enough. My father, who also read the book, even asked me who the little boy is and what his significancy is in the stories.
The writer, Iwan Setyawan, uses the interaction as a prologue and epilogue in most chapters, squeezing the main story in the center. While the idea of it is flawless, the bridges between the opening-closing and the 'real' content are not smooth. I felt like I had to jump from one part to another and then back to where I started because of different nuances brought by each parts. It was disturbing, I have to say.
Despite the above critics, I still like the overall stories of how the main character fight for a better future. It brings spirit for the readers to be able to achieve what he/she dreams of. Just as the writer hopes, I suppose.
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