Testament, a Novel by David Morrel: Summary

The main character, Reuben Bourne has similar suffering to Job’s. He looses his infant son, small daughter, and his wife. His moral principles abort him to do the vengeance to his enemy’s family. It’s so unfair to see the bad guy playing tender father and husband meanwhile he destroys other family. Although Bourne was too kind and too forgiving but it’s a good book with well-written one. If you’re looking for an action thriller with well-developed characters and a plot that keep you guessing, then you might want to give this book a try. 

This book is 338 pages long. The first edition was published in 1975 while this Warner Books edition was printed in April 1993, USA. The writer is a former Professor of American Literature at University of Iowa, U.S. His many novels include Rambo (First Blood Part II, 1985) and Rambo III, (1988). Testament is the second novel of all his works. According to Mr. Morrell’s note in Introduction in 1991, the title is an allusion to the Bible – in particular the Old Testament Book of Job.

Testament, a Novel by David Morrel

The death of a cat, Samantha, was the first attack from Kess. Hours passed his infant son, Ethan was death too. It was poison in the milk. Reuben Bourne was a writer of book and article for magazine. He got lucky three years before with a novel that almost made the best sell lists and was turned into a movie. Once he wrote an article about Kess’s organization, he knew what kind of man Kess was.

The year before, three of Kess’s lieutenants had been charged with attempt assassination. That was in Hartford, Connecticut – their target a third term U.S Senator. The Kess organization run the company manufactures chemicals and electronics equipment. They need quick access to those chemicals and electronic instruments required for the kind of sophisticated explosives they plan to use in time of emergency. Kess told him months before that there were dozens organizations like them. And Bourne checked. They were everywhere, in industry, and government, in law enforcement and the military. Mercy was not Kess’s way.

His young daughter Sarah had been assaulted at school. And the logical thing that It was the armed policeman. The revolver’s barrel had ripped her. The two detectives, Webster and Ford were not enough to protect her. His son was dead, his daughter assaulted, his home on fire, and threatened calls. He tried to ask the FBI but Kess didn’t keep membership records.  There was a rumor he was in the British West Indies. Another rumor told that he was in Hawaii. He brought his wife Claire and Sarah and decided and talked to the real estate. But the attackers found them.

Galloping up through trees and streams, they had to get as far as off by then they could. They arrived in Marrerro, an abandon town, and met an old man. He admitted the whole reason for living up in the very first place was there to stay away from people. Claire studied the records, the old man told lies. The town had not been left because of smallfox but the placer gold deposits just gave out and people moved on the better pickings.

The attackers almost killed them, the explosion that blew apart the hotel. The old man helped Reuben shot the attackers. But the old man had come after them because they were burning his town, and now he was burning the town himself and he wasn’t out to get them no matter reason. And this was why the old man had stopped them from running and this was why Sarah and Claire were huddled freezing in the drifts in the snowy long grass, hiding and Bourne couldn’t hold it in anymore, shooting him until death.

Bourne was just swinging around to the stall where Claire screamed, and looking up the guy standing had a rifle pointed at them.  He was young and dress in white the same as the other guy, hood thrown back, fumbling to draw his gun (It is quite similar to Ku Klux Klan, but writer never mentioned that word in whole story, see it on page 244). They galloped out of the valley. A shot behind them hit Claire, her bloody gaping face leading her down off the horse.

Now, it was him and his daughter. Time lost all significance for him. They were been in the tunnel. The wolves woke him and he realized that the wind must be carrying their commotion to him but the horses were skittering nervously just the same. When they got out of the tunnel to get warm a helicopter crisscrossed hundred yards down from them, he assumed they were after him. The storm seemed never end. Sarah and Bourne slept and woke and slept.

The air grew foul from their breath and the smell of the fire and horse meat. He lumped down exhausted, fighting to breathe. Sarah just kept coughing longer, harder, drinking less, and sleeping more. She could get sick from not enough oxygen or too little salt or her blood thinning out. One morning she was dead. It was just him and a dog and the dog helped him. On the first warm day he came down off the mountain. Six days later, he finally came down through the wash of rock and timber that he and Claire and Sarah had gone up that first day, hiking across the various levels down toward their cabin.

Bourne had gone to the real-estate man. He told him his friends had come in just like he told, every month to pay the rent. It was the only reason why the place would have not been touched. Bourne counted the days and finally three men checked their watches, and then as if they had all agreed on started shootings, shotguns blowing the window of cabin. Bourne fired the attackers and let two of them alive. He had made those guys talk before they died as well. It took him a year to visit his house and went back to the cemetery where Ethan was buried.

Then he made his way back toward the hill and he found where Claire was, where the guy had said and she had one ear gone as the guy had said and he quickly covered her again. He didn’t want to bother her just sprinkled the dust he had gathered from the grave of Ethan. Of the year, it had taken him the summer, fall and winter getting there. He had gone around to the people the guy had mentioned when he was torturing him, getting other names, higher ones, and finally he had got a lead. He worked back and forth the country, using different names, having different appearance, and taking jobs on farms.

It was a farm, a big wide spreading house and a barn and sheds and everything was white against the green of growing crops. A family was eating at backyard table, Kess, his wife, two daughters, and a son. They were eating, talking, and smiling. He could see the bodyguard by the corner of the garage and another just inside the house. Every time he sighted in on Kess’s daughter, the child blurred to Sarah. He switched to the boy and thought Ethan and the woman was Claire. All he could think of was his position in reverse of himself being killed, and Claire, Sarah, and Ethan looking at him. He told himself he was foolish. He simply couldn’t do it.

Sekapur Sirih

Novel Testament bergenre thriller aksi merupakan karya kedua dari penulis David Morrell yang pertama kali diterbitkan pada tahun 1975. Namun buku setebal 338 halaman ini merupakan terbitan pertama Warner Book pada April 1993, USA. Penulis adalah mantan Professor Kesusastraan Amerika di Universitas Iowa Amerika Serikat. Dari sederetan karyanya Rambo (First Blood Bagian II) dan Rambo III, yang difilmkan, dan diperankan Sylvester Stallone adalah masterpisnya. Buku fiksi ini menemani saya berlibur menikmati indahnya pantai Senggigi, Lombok dan jernihnya laut dan butiran pasir luar biasa cantik di tiga pulau: Gili Trawangan, Gili Air, dan Gili Meno pada Oktober 2010 lalu.

Pada bagian Pengantar, penulis mengatakan bila judul terinspirasi dari kitab the Old Testament (Perjanjian Lama), Buku Job, dimana Job orang kaya-raya, seorang percaya, baik dan taat pada Tuhan diuji kesetiaan dan keimanannya. Dia kehilangan harta benda, istri, anak-anaknya yang dikasihinya, dan sahabat-sahabatnya tapi dia tetap menjadi orang baik dan percaya pada Tuhan. Tokoh utama, Reuben Bourne kehilangan bayi lelakinya, putri kecilnya, dan isterinya. Dan tidak hanya itu, musuhnya tidak lelah mengejarnya.

Ketika upaya balas dendam sudah di depan mata dia batalkan niatnya atas dasar moral. Dia berpikir jika dia membunuh anak-anak dan isteri musuhnya maka si musuh akan merasakan kehampaan dan penderitaan yang sama seperti dirinya. Memang sangatlah tidak adil akhir cerita, penjahat duduk tenang memainkan peranan ayah dan suami baik padahal dia sudah menghancurkan keluarga lain. Kendati demikian, novel ini tetaplah bagus dan ditulis dengan bahasa yang bagus. Tepat dijadikan acuan pembelajaran novel berbahasa Inggris, dituliskan dengan kalimat dan bahasanya bagus.

Terjemahan (Ringkasan) dalam bahasa Indonesia: Testament, novel karya David Morrell

Seorang penulis dengan bayinya lelaki berumur lima bulan, putri kecilnya berusia 8 tahun, dan istrinya, beberapa tahun ini menikmati hidup di sebuah daerah dengan penghasilan dari bukunya. Reuben Bourne, penulis yang sukses dari bukunya dan artikel-artikelnya di majalah dan bahkan tiga tahun sebelumnya novelnya telah difilmkan, baru saja kehilangan kucingnya karena diracun orang. Tidak berapa lama kematian bayinya, Ethan, dengan racun dalam susu. Pikirannya pun tertuju pada Kess, pria keras yang pernah ditulisnya pada artikel majalah. Dia menduga tulisannya itu telah memicu amarahnya. Pihak kepolisian pun berusaha melindungi keluarga itu dengan mengadakan penjagaan namun putri kecilnya, Sarah mendapat serangan ketika di sekolah.

Tidak berhenti di situ, pelemparan Molotov koktail yang menyebabkan kebakaran rumahnya, dering telepon yang berisi ancaman dan intimidasi membuat keluarga Bourne semakin kacau. Istrinya Claire sangat depresi akibat kematian bayi Ethan, serta ancaman dan serangan bertubi-tubi membuat Bourne memutuskan untuk meninggalkan rumahnya. Pindah dari satu tempat ke tempat lain. Claire pun mati oleh peluru penyerang. Kini tinggallah perjuangannya bersama putrinya menjelajahi hutan nan dingin. Dengan mengandalkan kuda dan bekal makanan kaleng yang terbatas mereka berusaha bertahan.

Badai salju yang tebal memaksanya tinggal dan hidup di sebuah gua yang dingin selama berhari-hari dengan mengorbankan kudanya sebagai makanan. Putrinya tidak mampu bertahan akibat cuaca dan makanan yang kurang. Cuaca menghangat, dia pun keluar gua. Setelah menguburkan putrinya, dia pun berhasil keluar dari hutan. Dia akhirnya menemukan anak buah penjahat yang menyerangnya dan keluarganya. Sederetan nama dari bawahan hingga petinggi serta alamat mereka dikantonginya. Penyamaran demi penyamaran dilakukannya; dari buruh pertanian, pencat rumah, dan hingga pekerjaan-pekerjaan kasar lainnya yang tidak memerlukan identitas untuk memburu dan menghabisi komplotan penjahat. Mereka adalah orang  berjubah putih, bertopeng, dan bertutup kepala putih.

Penulis tidak pernah menggunakan kata Ku Klux Klan (KKK) tetapi cirinya seperti itu (hlm 244 ). Dugaannya tidak salah bahwa Kess adalah kepala komplotan itu dan menjadi target akhir. Ketika dia menyaksikan Kess duduk makan malam dengan dua putranya yang masih kecil dan putrinya yang masih remaja, dan isterinya, hatinya pun bergerak mundur dan tidak tega menghabisi mereka. Jika dia membunuh keluarganya maka Kess akan mengalami kehampaan dan penderitaan sama seperti dirinya. Dia memilih membatalkan niatnya itu dan memulai hidup baru di tempat lain bersama anjingnya.