Sharyl reviewed The Question of Red by Laksmi Pamuntjak
Review of 'The Question of Red' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This was one of several Kindle books offered at no cost on World Book Day. I knew nothing about this novel--or Indonesia--before reading this, and am grateful to have stumbled upon it.
The story starts on the island of Java, and the characters happen to be named after figures in a Hindu epic called the Mahabharata. In the novel, the characters are very much aware of the significance of the names they were given, but take it in as coincidence. The author, of course, has designs...this is both an update of an ancient story and an historical novel.
We meet Amba first, who enlightened this reader about the Mahabharata, and how she feels about her name. She is her parents' first child, and she has ambitions that include becoming educated and independent, two things that are not a given for women in 1960s Indonesia. When her parents betroth her to …
This was one of several Kindle books offered at no cost on World Book Day. I knew nothing about this novel--or Indonesia--before reading this, and am grateful to have stumbled upon it.
The story starts on the island of Java, and the characters happen to be named after figures in a Hindu epic called the Mahabharata. In the novel, the characters are very much aware of the significance of the names they were given, but take it in as coincidence. The author, of course, has designs...this is both an update of an ancient story and an historical novel.
We meet Amba first, who enlightened this reader about the Mahabharata, and how she feels about her name. She is her parents' first child, and she has ambitions that include becoming educated and independent, two things that are not a given for women in 1960s Indonesia. When her parents betroth her to a kind, charming man named Salwa, Amba is ambivalent. She sees his good traits, likes him, but--something is missing. In her quest to gain experience and education, however, she meets Bhisma--and that is when this novel becomes a love story.
The backdrop for this story is the frightening, violent time of the 1965 anti-communist purge, lead by Gen. Suharto. And so RED comes to stand for many things, the most obvious being communism, but the specific meaning behind the title of the book is not revealed until later on in this story.
This is several stories, beautifully told and woven together. The characters are intriguing and likable, especially Bhisma. Much of the historical background is told from his point of view.
I don't want to spoil a thing. Just pick it up and start...