In Daughters of Papua Leksi and her two pets tell the story of grandmother Mabel, a woman from the Dani tribe, born and raised in Papua’s interior. The de Wissels, Dutch missionaries, take the bright eight year old along to the city under the pretense of adopting her. Mabel quickly adapts to being … [Read more...]
Man Tiger
April 2, 2015 by
An extraordinarily beautiful, sly, ribald, and compulsively readable novel. A slim, wry story set in an unnamed town near the Indian Ocean, Man Tiger tells the story of two interlinked and tormented families, and of Margio, an ordinary half-city, half-rural youngster who also happens to be … [Read more...]
The Years of Voiceless
August 18, 2014 by
Synopsis: Marni is an illiterate Javanese woman who still practices ancestor worship. Through her offerings she finds her gods and puts forth her hopes. She knows nothing of the God brought in from that faraway land. Rahayu is Marni’s daughter, part of a new generation shaped by education and an … [Read more...]
Potions and Paper Cranes
July 12, 2014 by
Potions and Paper Cranes gives the reader a glimpse into Indonesian history. The way things were at the end of the Japanese occupation of the country during WWII, and the onset of the Indonesian Revolution immediately thereafter (1942-1945). This novel affirms the fragility of hatred and the … [Read more...]
My Name is Mata Hari
July 12, 2014 by
At the turn of the twentieth century, exotic dancer Mata Hari lived and loved by her own rules. *** My Name is Mata Hari tells the story of the infamous dancer and courtesan who began as Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, a young Dutch woman who married the older Rudolph MacLeod, a military officer, and … [Read more...]