The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Goodreads:

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

Saya mau mengutip beberapa kalimat dari prolog novel ini, deh:

There are so many ways it could have all turned out differently.

Imagine if she hadn’t forgotten the book. She wouldn’t have had to run back into the house while Mom waited outside with the car running, the engine setting loose a cloud of exhaust in the late-day heat.

Or before that, even: Imagine if she hadn’t waited to try on her dress, so that she might have noticed earlier that the straps were too long, and Mom wouldn’t have had to haul out her old sewing kit, turning the kitchen counter into an operating table as she attempted to save the poor lifeless swath of purple silk at the very last minute.

Or later: if she hadn’t given herself a paper cut while printing out her ticket, if she hadn’t lost her phone charger, if there hadn’t been traffic on the expressway to the airport. If they hadn’t missed the exit, or if she hadn’t fumbled the quarters for the toll, the coins rolling beneath the seat while the people in the cars behind them leaned hard on their horns.

Pernah bertanya-tanya dengan kata tanya bagaimana kalau? What if?

Bagaimana kalau Hadley Sullivan tidak melupakan bukunya? Bagaimana kalau dia tidak terlambat dan ketingalan pesawat? Bagaimana kalau...? Tentunya dia tidak akan bertemu Oliver, pemuda yang pastinyatampan dengan aksen British, yang membawakan tas Hadley, yang mengalihkan perhatian Hadley dari klausrofobianya di pesawat.

Diselingi dengan beberapa adegan flashback tentang pernikahan Ayah Hadley. Bagaimana dia bertemu wanita lain di London, meninggalkan anak dan istrinya, karena demi... cinta.

Cover terjemahan, diterbitkan oleh Qanita.

Hmm, saya suka baca novel/cerpen tentang seorang perempuan dan laki-laki yang bertemu dan malah menghabiskan waktu bersama selama satu hari atau satu malam. I blame Before Sunrise and Before Sunset for this. Contohnya: Where She Went, dan Graffiti Moon.

Tapi ternyata saya agak kecewa dengan novel ini. Saya agak mengharapkan banyaknya interaksi antara Hadley dan Oliver, ngomongin apa aja gitu. Mungkin karena diselingi satu bab adegan flashback ya jadinya interaksi Hadley dan Oliver gak begitu greget, gak kayak di Where She Went atau Graffiti Moon.

Chemistry Hadley dan Oliver juga kurang. Menurut saya, sudut pandang orang ketiga yang dipakai penulis bisa jadi kelebihan atau malah kekurangan.

Kelebihan: saya jarang baca novel YA (terutama kontemporer seperti ini) yang menggunakan sudut pandang orang ketiga (meskipun terbatas).

Kekurangan: kurang bisa digali perasaan dan emosi tokoh-tokohnya. Apa saran yang biasanya digunakan penulis? Show, don't tell. Bukannya saya anti baca novel yang menggunakan sudut pandang ketiga, saya sendiri malah suka menulis pakai itu tapi penulis harusnya bisa mengetahui apa yang dipikirkan atau dirasakan tokoh-tokohnya. Banyak kok novel YA yang pakai sudut pandang kayak gini, meskipun saya jarang nemu yang kontemporer (kebanyakan sudut pandang pertama).

Saya gak bakal spoiler, tapi... ending-nya agak dipaksakan.

2.5 bintang untuk plot yang sangat berpotensial.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
by Jennifer E. Smith
ISBN: 0316122386
Published on January 2nd 2012