Detox Just to Retox

I have no doubt whatsoever that Sri Rahayu Mohd Yusop's latest novel, Kasih Nan Agung, which won the first prize in the Novel Remaja category of the Hadiah Sastera Kumpulan Utusan (HSKU) 2008 would meet my expectations. It is all that, and beyond. Kasih Nan Agung does not only entertain, but is thought-provoking and a MUST-read for those who like to be educated in a literary way.

The premise of Kasih Nan Agung is simple, in general it is a novel that counter-argues the Evolutionary Theory and the Neo-Darwinism Theory as proposed originally by Charles Darwin and later on by more contemporary scientists who are as equally deluded as him. But Sri Rahayu did not only criticize, she also offered the alternative, or as a Muslim would have it - the Ultimate Truth regarding human existence.

This is what an exceptional literary work is: you see the problem and dissect it from a chosen perspective/issue then try to SOLVE it. In today's world, we must realize that pure awareness does not mean anything if no one reacted. The reactions do not have to be a MEGA campaign with all the publicity in the world, but it could just be, let's say, a novel. This is what I like about Malaysia's literary scene, especially writers who write in Malay because they are no longer constricting themselves to some shallow-minded lovey-dovey storyline but have ventured into foreign territories that are seldom associated with literature such as life sciences, technological advancement and theology.

Back to Kasih Nan Agung, I was in for a surprise ride. At first I thought it was going to be a straight-forward enough discourse between Jaka Sulaiman Awang Safar, a Malaysian senior in paleoanthropology at UC Berkeley with his many opponents in the forms of so-called scientists/atheists like Maximilian Blake and Robert Le Frost, but man was I wrong!

This pre-notion had its own base, considering that Sri Rahayu wrote the book that won HSKU last year, Warisnya Kalbu, as an anti-plot. That means that there is no well-defined storyline - causality and consequences - throughout the novel. Story is regarded unimportant, so that substance can become the main highlight.

But she did not repeat it in Kasih Nan Agung. It is full of suspense and an original page-turner. I would totally call it an Islamic novel for its well-executed, excellently-conveyed religious messages. I also like the fact that Sri Rahayu wrote it in flawless and convincing Bahasa Melayu, meaning she did not appear to be trying too hard. For instance, the dialogues uttered by the non-Bahasa Melayu speakers in the novel sounded very natural, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, non-colloquial.

And just for the record, Sri Rahayu is an English teacher.


*Sri Rahayu's previous works include Bukan Legasi Lalang (1st Prize, HSKU 2000), Merdekakan Cinta Ratna (3rd Prize, HSKU 2002), Odisi Tanah Kencana (2nd Prize, HSKU 2006) and Warisnya Kalbu (1st Prize, HSKU 2007).