Where We Belong
(e-book)
Sinopsis via goodreads
The
author of five blockbuster novels, Emily Giffin, delivers an unforgettable
story of two women, the families that make them who they are, and the longing,
loyalty and love that binds them together.
Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . . only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian’s perfectly constructed world—and her very identity—will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her.
For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves—a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.
Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . . only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian’s perfectly constructed world—and her very identity—will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her.
For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves—a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.
----
There's
a place that I know
It's not pretty there and few have ever gone
If I show it to you now
Will it make you run away
Or will you stay
Even if it hurts
Even if I try to push you out
Will you return?
And remind me who I really am
Please remind me who I really am
Everybody's got a dark side
Do you love me?
Can you love mine?
Nobody's a picture perfect
But we're worth it
You know that we're worth it
Will you love me?
Even with my dark side?
…
It's not pretty there and few have ever gone
If I show it to you now
Will it make you run away
Or will you stay
Even if it hurts
Even if I try to push you out
Will you return?
And remind me who I really am
Please remind me who I really am
Everybody's got a dark side
Do you love me?
Can you love mine?
Nobody's a picture perfect
But we're worth it
You know that we're worth it
Will you love me?
Even with my dark side?
…
Membaca 3 bab awal di buku ini,
langsung terngiang lagu Kelly Clarkson yang berjudul ‘Dark Side’. Setiap orang
punya rahasia masing-masing, ada yang sanggup untuk dibagi dengan orang-orang
terdekat, ada yang memilih menyimpan rapat-rapat. Marian Caldwell, memilih yang
kedua. Selama 18 tahun, ia berhasil menyembunyikan ‘aib’ itu.
Bisa dimengerti, betapa berat di
saat usia 18 tahun, ternyata ia tahu dirinya hamil. Well… berani berbuat harus
berani menanggung resiko kan?
Sebuah pilihan yang berani ketika Marian memutuskan untuk mempertahankan
kandungannya, tapi, sayangnya, sebuah ketakutan lain malah membuat Marian lebih
memilih untuk berbohong pada Conrad. Dan juga… akhirnya berbohong pada
ayahnya, keluarga, kerabat, teman-teman, dan Peter, kekasih Marian. Kenapa?
Pastinya ‘dunia’ akan langsung menghujat saat seorang gadis hamil di luar
nikah, belum lagi kedudukan ayahnya sebagai seorang pengacara yang cukup
terkenal di kota
tempat mereka tinggal. Kehidupan sosial mereka pasti akan ikut terkena
dampaknya. Beruntung, Marian memiliki ibu yang berbesar hati, tak menimpakan
kesalahan pada anaknya, karena ia tahu, tanpa perlu ada kemarahan, Marian juga
sudah menyesal dan cukup menderita. Dengan munculnya Kirby, berarti sudah
waktunya Marian untuk berani membuka rahasia masa lalunya. Yang meskipun berat,
bisa diterima dengan baik oleh Peter.
Dari sisi Kirby, beruntung dia
memiliki orang tua angkat yang baik. Kedua pasangan ini memang menantikan anak,
dan memutuskan untuk mengadopsi Kirby. Pasangan Rose tak pernah menyembunyikan kenyataan bahwa Kirby bukan
anak kandung mereka. Dan Kirby pun, meski sedikit cuek, tapi Kirby tetap
menghormati dan menyayangi mereka sebagai orang tua yang sudah membesarkannya.
Bagian yang paling bikin ‘mules’
dalam buku ini adalah detik-detik ketika Marian harus berpisah dengan Kirby,
untuk kemudian diserahkan ke keluarga Rose.
Semua tokoh dalam cerita ini, memiliki
hati yang besar dan ikhlas. Coba lihat, keluarga Rose, ketika Kirby memutuskan
untuk menemukan keluarga biologisnya. Meski ada rasa sedih dan takut
ditinggalkan, keluarga Rose memberikan kebebasan pada Kirby. Lalu, keluarga Caldwell, yang bisa
menerima Kirby dengan tangan terbuka (meskipun ada kekakuan di pihak Ibu
Marian). Condrad, meskipun sinis terhadap Marian, tapi langsung bisa menerima
Kirby. Yah, pasti kaget lah ya… 18 tahun gak dikasih tau kalo sebenernya dia
punya anak.
Kurangnya buku ini, rasanya
kurang konflik yang lebih ‘mengaduk-aduk’ emosi. Tak ada penolakan dari pihak
mana pun, membuat cerita ini jadi lancar dan mengalir dengan tenang.
Moral of the story dari buku ini
adalah belajar berbesar hati seperti para tokoh dalam buku ini, belajar untuk
menerima kenyataan dan berani bercerita, sharing dengan orang-orang terdekat.
Saat kita gak bisa menyelesaikan masalah kita sendiri, akan ada orang lain yang
senantiasa membantu kita, at least untuk mendengarkan.
At the end of the story… I feel…
I wish there were more about Conrad... hehehe...
2 comments:
kayaknya bagus tuh mbak? salam kenal dulu ya?
salam kenal, mas.
bukunya bagus koq.. drama gitu sih
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