Time for a Change (1997), a Woman Fiction by Erica James: Summary

“Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better.”

Richard Hooker 1554-1600 

Told in third perspective this book draws the reader back to village life in England in the late nineties. The novel is a many-ingredient concoction of a family drama, romance, humor, and neighborhood. I am not a huge fan of stories where there are too many characters, perhaps the author reveals them to make the story more realistic, but the point is Hilary Parker misjudges her husband is having an affair. 

The book is light, easy to understand, and enjoyable. Erica James is a British novelist and this is a woman’s fiction. The 333-page book is published by Orion in Great Britain in 1997.

Time for a Change (1997), a Woman Fiction by Erica James: Summary

Hillary Parker just discovered her husband was having an affair. David Parker had been talking and citing a woman’s name in his sleep. David ran estate-agency office in the center of the village. Her neighbor Cindy certainly wasn’t going to get involved in someone else’s problems. Cindy and Derek ran the thriving health and beauty centre in Acacia Lane. They had been living only nineteen months in the village of Hulme Welford, Cheshire.

Georgia D’Arcy and Hillary were on Junior School PTA meeting on his eleven-year old son Philip. Since her husband Rory left her two years ago, Georgia singlehandedly built up and ran Hulme View Nursery on the edge of village. Rory had been a good –looking man and had been generally well liked in the village. He started drinking, not long after that Georgia had thrown her husband and instigated divorce proceedings. Georgia sold the house, she and her daughter lived in a draughty old caravan while she got the nursery business up and running, working, and saving like mad to have a small bungalow built for two of them.

Iris Braithwaite summoned sign a petition to the closure Ted Cooper’s news agent and wouldn’t tolerate the selling of pornographic items of clothing.  She was afraid Ted would be turned the premises into a sex shop next. Georgia had always privately admired at her. Most people in village were scared for Iris Braithwaite, intimidated by her overbearing manner. The old woman wanted the exploitation of women has to be stopped. Georgia joined Iris in terrorizing Ted Cooper.

Hillary was never bad-tempered with other people. Patience was her middle name, David had changed, she was changing. She didn’t like it. She wanted him to be same old David, and herself to be the same old Hilary.

Hilary’s sister, Charlotte enjoyed running her own business again, an antique shop in the village, and also rented her space. Although Catherine Renshaw worked for her brother-in-law, there had been no precious social contact between them in the village. Charlotte Lawrence was in love with her tenant Alex Hamilton. Since he had moved in with her, Charlotte had lost count of number of times he proposed, but finally she said yes to the idea of marriage.

Hilary couldn’t imagine David’s secretary was with her husband. Hilary’s life was now far from fine. She had to pay attention on his teenage boy. The transition from the village primary school to senior had been not easy for him. Philip had won a scholarship to the same school Tiffany attended and with her brother Barry had recently left with his string of A –level. He was now studying medicine at Leeds. Derek and Cindy had produced two such unlikely children- Tiffany, possibly every mother’s nightmare and Barry, every mother’s dream son-in-law. On the hand Hillary produced Philip and Becky.

Louise Archer decided to pay a call to her elder daughter, Charlotte. She had had her own shop years ago, before married to Peter. Since her husband death Charlotte was conscious that he had gone up in her estimation. Her mother noticed something was wrong with Hilary. Charlotte discovered Hilary’s feeling on Nick, but she understood her sister’s pain. Peter had been having an affair almost from the day Charlotte met her. His career was his all-consuming mistress. On the morning Peter died, Charlotte just asked him for a divorce. She didn’t tell anyone, she didn’t want people to know she had failed.

Cindy felt surprisingly sorry for Hilary. She remembered how years ago when she had stumbled Derek’s second affair she had confided in Angela, her closet friend. Her friend had been so helpful but a week later she discovered Angela had betrayed her. For the first time since Angela’s betrayal, she had allowed to make a friend. She had seen Hilary as safe someone who wouldn’t interest Derek and pose a threat. She was so relieved that Derek wasn’t about to leave her. Cindy reminded Hilary not to trying to save money but saving her husband.

She suggested Cindy on new image. Cindy brought her shopping to Manchester. But her new look had nothing to bring David to his sense, in fact almost the reverse. He had even question Hilary how much money she had spent in Manchester with Cindy. David was stingy, he was only one step away from recycling the toilet paper.

Nick Bradshaw was in her French class. He appeared in her life the moment she had discovered David’s unfaithfulness. The forty-four man used to be a lecturer in organizational behavior, then when his second marriage hit. Hilary told David’s betrayal to him. David chose to have an affair- just as she chose to Nick. She planned to make him to seduce her, but Nick refused to play along. She had decided to confront David after her sister's wedding on Christmas. Hilary would be ready for David’s response if he said he wanted to leave her.

It wasn’t any means the smartest or most attractive property in the village but Hilary had loved her house from the moment they had viewed it. David explained he was not having an affair. He had been seeing a new firm of accounts past few months. The business was failure. Both her new accountant and her secretary called Catherine. David had no choice, they had to sell the house. It’s the recession, hundreds of small business were going to wall. He thought he could sell the business to a chain but the offer was too low. Hilary was so relieved. She gave support to her husband and would go back to teaching.

Sekapur Sirih

Ini adalah novel para wanita dan ibu. Penulis James berkebangsaan Inggris dan novel setebal 333 ini diterbitkan pada tahun 1997 oleh Orion di Britanaia Raya. Kisah tentang kehidupan rumah tangga atau sejenisnya sudah banyak, tapi ini sajian berbeda dari penulis berlatar kehidupan di kota kecil Inggris akhir tahun 90'an. Bergenrekan drama keluarga, mid-life crisis, persahabatan, dan konflik kehidupan bertetangga di kota kecil (desa), Novel ini kurang tepat bagi mereka yang tidak nyaman dengan karakter terlalu banyak, tapi karena dituliskan dengan ringan, diselingi narasi kocak, dan mudah dimengerti, sehingga masih tetap nyaman dinikmati.

Terjemahan dalam Bahasa Indonesia: Time for a Change, karya Erica James

Kisah kehidupan beberapa keluarga di sebuah kota kecil bernama Hulme Welford di Chessire yang tidak jauh dari kota Menchester Inggris. Hillary Parker, seorang ibu rumah tangga yang sebelumnya hidup bahagia dan tenang bersama dua orang anaknya dan suaminya David yang penuh kasih dan perhatian, namun suatu malam ia mendengar suaminya  mengingau menyebut nama wanita lain --Chaterine.  Ia menduga wanita itu adalah sekretaris suaminya yang ia kenal. David Parker berprofesi sebagai agen real estate, usaha yang dibangun sendiri olehnya. Sejak gigauan itu pula kehidupan Hilary tidak tenang dan berubah.

Pasangan Cindy dan Derek Rodgers tergolong baru di kompleksnya. Mereka memulai usaha salon kecantikan di kota itu dan anak-anak mereka belajar pada satu sekolah yang sama dengan anak Hilary Parker. Philip anak tertuanya SMP dan adiknya Becky berusia tujuh tahun. Secara penampilan, Cindy dan Hilary bertolak belakang tapi mereka bisa berteman baik dan kompak. Cindy-lah yang pertama mendengar keluh-kesah dugaan perselingkuhan David Parker. Sesuai keahliannya, Cindy menyarankan perubahan penampilan. Atas saran sahabatnya ia pun mulai merubah penampilan dari cat rambut hingga berpakaian. Hanya saja malah lelucon bagi anak-anaknya dan suaminya juga kurang setuju karena menghamburkan uang.

Layaknya kehidupan kota kecil biasanya, kejadian sekecil apapun cepat tersiar. Sebenarnya Hilary malu menceritakan pada siapapun karena dalam kompleksnya, semua orang saling kenal dan saling terkait. Setiap hari Minggu warga beribadah ke gereja yang sama, sekolah anak-anak mereka juga sama. Dalam cerita disebut desa namun mungkin di negara kita dari gambaran cerita terbilang sebagai kota kecil. Profesi di tempat ini dikisahkan beragam dari pemilik usaha salon, dokter bedah, terapis, pemilik toko, agen perumahan, guru, dan pemilik toko antik.

Sedari kecil hingga menikah bersama Hilary dan saudarinya Charlotte hidup di lingkungan itu. Mereka adalah putri seorang dokter bedah dan rumah orang tuanya juga masih satu kompleks.

Hilary sendiri tidak berani bertanya langsung pada suaminya karena takut menyakitinya, tapi ia tidak sanggup menahan keresahannya dan berbagi cerita pada saudarinya dan tetangganya. Ia berencana menanyakan perselingkuhan itu setelah pernikahan saudarinya Charlotte dan kekasihnya Alex. Kehidupan di kompleks pun diwarnai hal baik dan buruk. Tetangganya wanita tua Iris Braithwaite yang dirampok dan dilukai orang tidak dikenal.

Ada  sahabatnya Georgia, sama-sama orang tua murid di sekolah putrinya Becky, digosipkan sebagai wanita lesbian yang mengusir suaminya. Baik Iris dan Georgia nekat meneror toko penjual penunjang seks - berupa pakaian-pakaian ketat wanita yang seksi milik Ted Cooper. Iris kuatir toko itu nanti berkembang menjadi toko peralatan seks. Ia pun mengumpulkan petisi tanda tangan penutupan toko Cooper.

Warga di kompleks tidak jarang mengadakan pesta bersama, walau tidak dipungkiri ada konflik di antara mereka. Berniat membalas perbuatan suaminya, Hilary pun sempat ingin berselingkuh. Ia menggoda duda Nick Bradsaw seorang terapis perilaku dan  teman kursus bahasa Prancis. Untung saja Nick menolak godaan Hilary karena sadar wanita hanya emosi sesaat.

David pun mencium kegelisahan istrinya itu dan menjelaskan bahwa ia tidak berselingkuh. Kegagalan bisnisnya yang membuat ia takut dan pilihan terburuk harus melepas rumah mereka untuk dijual. Nama Chaterine yang disebutnya dalam gigauannya ketika tidur adalah nama akuntannya yang baru, kebetulan memiliki nama yang sama dengan sekretarisnya. Ia dan Chaterine tengah berusaha dalam penawaran bisnis baru, namun gagal.

Ia sangat memahami jikalau istrinya sangat menyukai rumah dan kenyaman tinggal di kompleksnya. Pengakuan suaminya membuat Hilary sangat senang dan lega, kecurigaannya selama ini ternyata salah. Perselingkuhan suami tidak pernah ada. Walau terancam kehilangan rumah, namun pasangan itu kembali mesra, apalagi mereka mendapat dukungan dari kedua orang tua mereka. Wanita cerdas itu berencana mengajar kembali.