The Host, a novel by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

At first, I confused with the story. it’s so blur everywhere. Kinda boring, too. But I keep on reading and the story became interesting and more interesting. Though, there aren’t much fighting sequences. Much of the story is the talking or the thoughts. Meyer is still use first point of view in this book. Maybe, it’s her brand.

The story become funny when Jared and Ian know they’re in “rectangle” loves. I said rectangle because it is likely four people than three: Melanie, Wanda, Jared and Ian, with the two girls in one body. Poor Jared and Ian. How can they do something with the one they love when the other girl is listening? It’s funny, though.

Though, this is a happy ending story (sorry, spoiler). So everybody (main characters) have their owns happy life and love.

Gerhana Kembar, a novel by Clara Ng

Lendy, book editor on big publishing house got bit surprise when she found old manuscript and letters in her grandmother’s cupboard. Now, her grandmother’s is dying because of cancer in hospital. Lendy read the story as if she go inside the locked world. The deeper she read, the more concern she felt about the story that it is a true story. Story that her grandmother kept for a long time. Story that involved her grandmother’s past and as the link to her existence in the world. With the story, Lendy learned her life and her relationship with her mother: try to be honest to herself, feel free to forgive and be friend with the past.

The story is the journey of the heart. Story about family: bravery, power and toughness. Love story that will never lose its meaning though it is between two women.

I feel I was being cheated. When I read the synopsis on the back of the book, I thought this story is about fantasy world mixed with real world. In few chapters, I realized and sure this is homosexual story. Wow! Ms. Ng is brave to write novel with sensitive theme. I kept on reading because I wanna know the ending. It flowed smoothly. And my sympathy to them is increasing a lot, especially to Diana and Selena in this story. It’s not they want to become like that. They struggle between themselves and family. And the family win. They sacrifice their life and they don’t insist to get what they really wants.

I have to confess: I thrilled when I read and imagined how Diana and Selena showed their love. They have to play hide and seek. In our society, life and relationship like this is not normal. But I don’t care with what they do (it’s their life and I can’t step forward to play as judge or to be their heroine with joining homosexual organizations). My head is spinning and I have to stop for a while to calm down myself. I said, “This is what they feel, this is what they face everyday for the rest of their life, this is their world.”

The story consist of two sections: (1) Lendy is looking for the truth from manuscript she found and (2) Diana’s writing, told by turns per chapter to the ending of the story. The story is beautiful. Diana’s and Selena’s fighting to be together is hard. Separated in different continent, they can be together again after 47 years (although it only happened in story written by Diana).
NB: I prefer not to read such story anymore. One is enough knowing their feeling.

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