In this article:
Apple and Knife
Written by Chris Talbott, originally published in Seattle Times
Oct 22, 2020
Apple and Knife
Written by Chris Talbott, originally published in Seattle Times
Oct 22, 2020
“Apple and Knife” by Intan Paramaditha, translated by Stephen J. Epstein (Brow): “Apple and Knife” is acclaimed Indonesian writer Intan Paramaditha’s first English publication, and its intensely personal short stories will leave you with bite marks and bruises.
A work of subversive feminist horror inspired by myths and folklore, the claustrophobic stories here are inhabited by desperate people and have a suffocating feel. Their fears originate in both everyday life and the foreboding sense that there’s no escape from predators who hide in both the light and the dark in a country where few are safe — especially women and other vulnerable communities.
They’re harried by cursed sea queens and stalked by menstruation hags on one side and preyed upon by a ruling class that’s been warped and perverted by wealth and power on the other. In Paramaditha’s hands, we’re not clear which is worse, or that there’s any difference at all.
Read the full article here.