Reviews

The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

allison_sirovy's review against another edition

5.0

All I have to say is that reading opens your mind. #mentalhealth #history #learn #youngadult #middleschool

amanda9269's review against another edition

5.0

damn i finished this in a day because it was so good. the history and story it tells was so important and the characters were so interesting. i loved how this book didn’t sugarcoat anything and hope real and raw it felt. such an important and horrible part of history deserves to be told and this book for YA readers is a great way to be able to tell such important history.

brylokrantz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

archytas's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This book should feel very heavy - Hanna Alkaf has set a story of a young women terrified of her own brain in the middle of the horrific racial violence of 1969 in Kuala Lumpur. From the first chapter, Melati is surrounded by death, fleeing through streets full of violence, with an escalating battle in her own head with her Djinn, a force which threatens all she holds dear if she does not enact constant counting and number rituals. Yet. somehow, this book is not weighted into a depressing or unhappy read.
Hanna Alkaf focuses on Melita's resilience, and how her private battles also give her strength for a more public form of courage. The book is peopled with heroes who build community in the chaos, and the pace clips along sharply, evoking the ways in which crisis has little time for grief.
Alkaf weaves casual and more overt racism into the book, explaining without exposition dumps, how racial tensions played out in everyday life. She structures to plot to move between Malay and Chinese communities, including subtle notes to the differential threat they faced during the riots, but analysis remains scarce. Melita's central perspective is a Malay one, and realisitically niave.
In short, this is a gripping read. Hanna Alkaf gives the events the weight they deserve, but does not pass that to Melita or to us. It is a rich book, one which a younger teen would need to be ready for, but one which builds understanding

wisteriamoon's review against another edition

5.0

So beautiful. Deserves so much more hype. A lush and vivid Historical Fiction with much-needed disability rep. Made my heart full.

stronkchonk's review against another edition

5.0

Phenomenal book. A beautifully haunting portrayal of OCD, anxiety, and a real life tragedy in history. The author paints a clear picture of mental illness, culture, and stigma.

readingwithathena's review against another edition

4.0

The Weight of Our Sky opens with a note. Well, a note/major content warning. This book is overwhelmed by violence and racism, death and anxiety triggers. "If this will hurt you, please don't read my book." Hanna Aklaf's note drove the message home- this book is heavy and intense, but she’s going to treat it with respect. And I appreciated it.

Sixteen-year-old Melati lives in Kuala Lumpur with her mother. For years she'd been plagued by a djinn, but it's gotten worse in the year since her father's sudden death. She and her mother have tried everything they can to stop her rituals- counting and tapping in sets of three and vivid visions of her mothers' death- but nothing has worked. When a trip to the movies with her best friend ends in violence, Melati is stranded with a strange yet kind family, determined to find her mother again.

Melati’s goal is simple: find her mother. The narrative is simple but thought-provoking. Melati has one of the best journeys I’ve read in YA, and the usual tropes surrounding mental illness are avoided (much to my relief). While there is lots of violence throughout the book, Aklaf writes with sympathy and compassion; there is no true us vs them narrative. At times, the writing felt repetitive, but it certainly wasn’t a major flawed. While the content was difficult at times, at its core The Weight of Our Sky is about the kindness that persists in the darkest of times.

foampittroll's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

athirah_idrus's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Kali pertama saya membaca buku ini adalah pada tahun 2020, ketika negara sedang berada di dalam lockdown gara-gara Covid-19. Buku ini jugalah yang memperkenalkan saya ke dunia penulisan Hanna Alkaf. Waktu itu, karya Hanna Alkaf diterbitkan di dalam bahasa Inggeris, iaitu bahasa asal yang digunakan Hanna. Pada ketika itu, saya sedar yang Hanna bakal menjadi salah satu daripada penulis yang akan saya ikuti, dan sehingga hari ini, saya telah pun membaca semua novel karyanya dan beberapa cerpen yang diterbitkan bersama penulis-penulis yang lain. 

 

Saya bukan tidak cakna berkenaan kejadian 13 Mei 1969, namun kerana dilahirkan berdekad selepas kejadian itu, terasa jauh sekali dengan sejarah yang saya tahu. Malah, kejadian ini yang sering dikatakan sebagai salah satu titik hitam negara juga tidak ditekankan di dalam pembelajaran di sekolah. Lantas, ia seolah-olah hanya satu ‘cerita’ yang terasa jauh dari saya. Melalui novel ini, saya mendapat gambaran dengan lebih jelas akan apa yang dilalui rakyat ketika tragedi itu. Ia mengajar saya untuk lebih peka dan empati dengan tragedi ini. Iya, novel ini mungkin karya dongeng yang lahir dari imaginasi Hanna, namun ia berasaskan apa yang terjadi pada ketika itu, dan mungkin juga lebih kurang sama (atau lebih teruk) dengan apa yang sebenar-benarnya berlaku. 

 

Melalui watak utama, Melati, saya dapat ‘melalui’ perasaan cemas pada waktu itu, terutamanya kerana dia juga seorang yang dibelenggu ‘Jin’ yang menambahkan rasa kebimbangan sedia ada. Setelah akhirnya hari persekolahan, Melati dan sahabat baiknya Safiyah, pergi ke panggung wayang untuk menonton filem baru yang dibintangi pelakon yang diminati Safiyah. Namun, sebelum mereka dapat pulang, mereka terjebak dengan rusuhan yang berlaku di antara orang Cina dan orang Melayu di sekitar Kuala Lumpur. 

 

Masih tidak dapat percaya bahawa negara kita yang saya selalu anggap sebagai negara majmuk yang harmoni ini pernah melalui sejarah yang memalukan seperti tragedi Mei 1969. Perlu diakui bahawa masih sehingga sekarang stigma dan pergaduhan antara kaum masih ketara, namun tidaklah sehingga tahap membunuh. Membaca tentang apa yang terjadi membuatkan saya rasa marah dan malu dan lebih-lebih lagi rasa sedih kerana tidak dapat diterima dek akal yang perkara seumpama ini berlakunya di negara tercinta. 

 

Hanya kerana perasaan tamak, penting diri dan kejahatan sesetengah orang seperti disampuk syaitan. Pergelutan ini mampu berlaku kerana pihak atasan dan parti politik yang menggunakan dasar rasis secara melulu untuk menaikkan rasa benci tidak kiralah bangsa apa. Sedih juga melihat segelintir manusia yang termakan dengan hasutan ini dan bertindak seperti orang yang tidak berakal atau hilangnya sifat berperikemanusiaan. 

 

Saya amat bersyukur dengan kewujudan buku ini kerana bagi saya, Hanna telah menyampaikan sejarah ini melalui ceritanya yang tidak sengaja disensasikan, dan juga tidak dilapikkan dengan kata manis yang mungkin meremehkan kejadian sebenar. Watak-watak yang ditampilkan juga mengingatkan saya bahawa walaupun ada manusia yang kejam dan jahil, begitu jualah wujudnya personaliti yang baik dan sentiasa cuba menegakkan keadilan seperti keluarga Aunty Bee yang ditemui Melati dan juga mama Melati sendiri yang berkerja sebagai jururawat yang selalu membantu orang, tidak kira kepercayaan atau warna kulit mereka. Ia memberi saya harapan bahawa dunia ini tidaklah segelap yang disangka. 

 

“Di mana bumi berpijak, di situlah langit dijunjung”. Saya suka penerapan mesej ini yang terserlah dalam karakter di dalam novel ini. Saya juga kagum kerana Hanna sentiasa mengetengahkan bukan sahaja isu semasa, malah masalah isu mental yang makin merundung. 

 

Seronok juga apabila dapat kembali ke dunia Melati, kali ini dalam bahasa kebangsaan. Saya rasa penterjemah telah mewujudkan versi bahasa Melayu yang bagus dari segi bahasa dan juga telah berjaya menyampaikan mesej Hanna, yakni, makna asal yang diterapkan di dalam buku asal telah diterjemah dengan elok sekali. Namun, pada pendapat saya, kualiti penulisan Hanna di dalam Inggeris dan gaya lenggok penulisannya amat mengasyikkan, dan mungkin sukar untuk disampaikan apabila dialih ke bahasa lain. 

 

Saya amat berharap buku ini dijadikan buku rujukan atau buku yang diiktirafkan sebagai salah satu buku wajib baca di kalangan pelajar di Malaysia. Walaupun penekanan diberikan kepada protagonis remaja, karya ini sesuai dibaca oleh semua orang warganegara Malaysia. 

emleemay's review against another edition

4.0

I know the signs; this is the Djinn, unfolding himself, stretching out, pricking me gently with his clawed fingers. See what I can do? he whispers, unfurling yet another death scene in all its technicolor glory.

4½ stars. This has to be one of the most original YA books I've read in a long time. It just checked all the boxes for me.

» It explores an area of history I've never seen in fiction.
[b:The Weight of Our Sky|35614314|The Weight of Our Sky|Hanna Alkaf|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1531930744s/35614314.jpg|57055577] is set during the 1969 race riots in Kuala Lumpur. After a contentious election, Chinese and Malays took to the streets, rioting, burning down houses, and brutally murdering each other.

Alkaf does not sugarcoat it. This book is dark and gruesome, containing graphic violence, but it is never gratuitous. On the contrary, the author writes with such compassion for her characters, both Chinese and Malay, ultimately urging us to never forget; to never let this become a cold fact in a history book that we do not appreciate in all its horror and intensity.

» It uses a really unique style/approach.
While set during the riots, this is also a book about OCD and anxiety. Melati must constantly perform small rituals of tapping and counting to appease the djinn inside her. I found this so different and believable and sad. In 1969 there was even more stigma against mental illness than there is today, and it seemed natural that Melati would believe herself to be possessed by a djinn, given her family's religious beliefs and lack of alternative explanation.

I think the author does a great job of capturing Melati's obsessive circles of thought. In fact, I felt my own anxiety spiking alongside hers as she fears and doubts everything. It is, of course, all exacerbated by the terrifying circumstances Melati finds herself in-- separated from her mother in the middle of so much violence and destruction.

» Great mix of action and introspection.
Between the violence, chases and battles for survival, and Melati's chaotic mindset, the book rarely stands still. But in the few moments when it does, we are treated to Malaysian folktales and passionate discussions about music. This latter offers Melati a brief respite from the djinn, and us a brief respite from the dark and upsetting events of the novel.

Gorgeous and evocative descriptions of the setting also offer a balance to the horror:

The air is thick with a pungent mix of odors: the delectable aroma wafting from the famous shredded duck buns on the one side; the mysterious smells that emanate from the jars and boxes that line the shelves of the Chinese medicine hall; the heady, overwhelming cologne that trails behind the college boys swaggering down the sidewalk in their ill-fitting drainpipe trousers, combs stuck in their back pockets; and everywhere, a faint undercurrent of stale sweat and cigarette smoke.

I feel compelled to mention that this is in NO WAY a "romance cures mental illness" book, which was my biggest fear after reading the description and being introduced to Vince. This is not that kind of book at all.

There's so much good in [b:The Weight of Our Sky|35614314|The Weight of Our Sky|Hanna Alkaf|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1531930744s/35614314.jpg|57055577]. It's a fascinating character portrait of a girl with a mental illness in 1960s Malaysia; it's a reminder of a piece of the past we must not forget; and it's about the small acts of kindness that emerge out of the darkest of times.

CW: Graphic violence; death; OCD; anxiety; racism.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube