Stephani Soejono’s Tale of the Bidadari is a short graphic novel based on the Orang Bunian stories of West Sumatra. The Bunian are a race of nonhuman entities who feature in the folklore of the Malay Archipelagoes, so I was looking forward to reading an Indonesian treatment of it, particularly since … [Read more...]
Eka Kurniawan’s Vengeance Is Mine is limp venture into violence
February 5, 2018 by
Few novels offer a clearer line of sight into their thematic concerns than Eka Kurniawan’s Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash: “ ‘Only guys who can’t get hard fight with no fear of death,’ Iwan Angsa once said about Ajo Kawir.” There it is, one, two, three, neatly arranged for the reader’s … [Read more...]
The Birdwoman’s Palate by LAKSMI PAMUNTJAK
January 14, 2018 by
I’ve picked this book as one of my Kindle First in January, partially because I’m doing Reading Challenge at The Fiction Cafe Book club and the first one was to read a book with a food item on the cover. I’ve had few book contestants for this challenge but as soon as I saw this cover, I knew I had … [Read more...]
Intan Paramaditha’s ‘Gentayangan’ crosses many borders
November 13, 2017 by
You yearn to travel, but never have. It’s too expensive, so you’re stuck here — in Indonesia, at your boring job teaching English, despite never having stepped foot in an English-speaking country. You’ve tried to find fulfillment in romance, but your boyfriends have all been losers. Meanwhile, … [Read more...]
Pulp horror
November 13, 2017 by
It’s easy to mistake Eka Kurniawan’s pulpy third novel, Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash, for a fun read of little substance. The main plot centres on the protagonist’s inability to get hard. Graphic sex abounds, as do brawls, shootings and slapstick. Take the part where Ajo Kawir, the main … [Read more...]