FICTION

Beauty Is a Wound

by Eka Kurniawan
New Directions. Sept. 2015. 480p. tr. from Indonesian by Annie Tucker. ISBN 9780811223638. pap. $19.95; ebk. ISBN 9780811223645. F
COPY ISBN
OrangeReviewStarThis English-language debut of trending Indonesian author Kurniawan opens with beautiful prostitute Dewi Ayu arising from the grave after 21 years and encountering her child Beauty, whom she had cursed with ugliness. The initial feeling of legend, dare one say magic realism, is quickly overtaken by the brutal facts of Indonesian history, from the last gasp of Dutch colonialism to World War II and the bloody battle for independence and against presumed Communists.
VERDICT A lush, raucous, and fabulous saga.
Reviewed by Barbara Hoffert , Sep 15, 2015
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