Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Cantik itu Luka

This book had so much potential. It started as a 4-5 star prediction given how beautifully it started the exploration of Dewi Ayu's character and the harrowing descriptions of the conflicts in Indonesia from the colonial period through WW2. I knew going in that the book was filled with heavy and triggering content and was doing okay with it (

this is even after the brutal bestiality of chapter 2 and constand sexual assault by Japanese soldiers in chapter 4

). Here's the problem: the treatment of sexual violence throughout the novel feels off from the beginning. I tried to rationalize it by thinking "it's allegorical" or "the detached tone has to do with the dissociation these women are experiencing during these acts," but it got to the point that I just couldn't ignore the male gaze afflicting this novel anymore. At some point, maybe 30-40% of the way into the book, the women cease to be the focus of the novel and we mostly get the backstories and perspectives of men in the lives of the central women. Even Dewi Ayu becomes more of an object and less of a whole human person (and that's not even starting on her daughters). I found myself getting more and more angry at the sexual violence not because it's an upsetting topic but because it was handled extremely poorly and distastefully (ex.

the implication that Alamanda put "love" into her encounter with Sodancho that finally resulted in a child after the horrific and violent ways in which he raped her constantly,

the way they linger on women's and girls' bodies right before they're assaulted, descriptions of women's bodies by a third person narrator that sexualize young girls and innocence as in "[...] the curves of her beautiful breasts, the kind that only belong to sixteen-year-old girls,"

the grooming of Alamanda by Kliwon and Beauty by Krisan being treated as epic heartbreaking love stories

etc.). I also started to realize the women were only notable in relation to the men they slept with or who their fathers were. We lose much of the nuance from the earlier explorations of Dewi Ayu and suddenly all of the girls are 2D sex objects. I wish that these issues didn't nag at me while reading as much or that I could somehow overlook them since the writing style and much of the other commentary (ex. when discussing colonialism, generational trauma, othering within society, etc.) was phenomenal, but that just isn't possible for me. The glaring issues with the portrayal of women in the novel and the shift in focus to elevate the men (often to the detriment of these women characters) really brought down my enjoyment while reading.

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joygarcialim's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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gusarapii's review against another edition

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There was far too much SA to the point that it wasnt a plot devise anymore and the story didn´t draw me in either. I also lack the bacground information to trully understand the historycal background and references.

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soupqueen's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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imaginefishes's review against another edition

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dark funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

The story is told non-linearly, with a giant ensemble cast of characters who have someone all been interwoven together into the same family, and yet, the story does not become drab nor difficult to follow. Despite the dark matters (such as rape) described in the book, the tone of writing remains lighthearted and almost cheeky, which makes it for an easy read (though the normalising of violence, sexual or otherwise, towards women may be difficult to stomach at times). The story is entertaining to the end, and seeing all the final pieces fall into place describing the choices of characters from chapters ago was somewhat satisfying, but also mildly disappointing due to the reveal of the central piece.

Overall, this is a story about myth and legend set in a real-life historical timeline, where the Indonesian experience of war, decolonialisation, and post-independence is reflected through a variety of characters symbolising these differing themes. My (brief) learning of Indonesian history in school definitely aided in my following of the timeline, and I would recommend readers familiarise themselves with these topics prior to taking on this book. Besides showcasing the overall population-wide experience, the book also depicts the micro-perspective of Dewi Ayu and the tragic fate of her family, which when combined with the humorous choice of phrases used in the book, somehow allows me as the reader not to feel sympathy for them, but rather, view their demise as consequences of their own actions.

Truly, no character in this story is innocent. Crime, immorality, and violence are the bread and butter of the plot, and there are more than necessary descriptions of fecal matter and death. Though, I did not find these descriptions to be overtly vulgar as this diction fits into the overall tone of the book.

I had no clue what this book would be about when I first read it, but I do not regret picking it up.

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shainalite's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

baca buku ini kayak main game ular-ularan

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iellv's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Ugh. Sometimes this book is brilliant, but most of the time I wanted to bash my head against a wall. Or kill someone. Reading this was like watching Oro, Plata, Mata (1982): horrifying, entertaining, a bit meandering and desperately needing a huge edit, and for more than half the time I was begging someone to end it all. Or end me. Everyone is either pretty, neurotic, murderous, horny, or rapey. I never did finish that movie, but I did finish this one, and I feel like I should be compensated for it.

Don’t go into this expecting something truly profound. I made this exact mistake maybe 75% of the way in (it took forever before I could force myself to pick this up again, so I forgot how to read this book) and would have dropped the book if I hadn’t bought it. Once I accepted that it’s an epic and would have to endure the same amount of rage, disgust, and amusement I feel from reading myths and folk tales, I bumped this up from 2.8 stars to 3.0. (Edit: nvm lol I got a bit angrier bc I thought abt it again 😭 back to 2.8 stars)

As an epic and as a look into Indonesian history and colonialism, this really delivered in the first half. I was floored by the many similarities between Indonesian colonial history and Philippine colonial history (hence why a good chunk of this book reminded me so much of oro, plata, mata). We lost some of that fire, wonder, and comedy in the latter half. The book lost some of its focus—or maybe I should say it didn’t do very well with its main theme.

It was very male-centric, which isn’t surprising if you think about it, but given the main theme of the book? Given everything Dewi Ayu as a character represents and criticizes? It made me angry to see how much the stories sympathized with the male characters (who were all rapists and pedophiles btw) and how some of them even got their happy endings. A good bulk of the book focused on them, whereas the women suffered like 98% of the time. I didn’t mind at first, but eventually it just became gratuitous, as it really felt like the author never afforded the same level of attention and sympathy to the women. Which is absolutely crazy to me. In the end, any attempts at examining their fates or criticizing the world around them were relegated to single sentences (at least, after Dewi Ayu’s arc, which was appallingly short when you consider the rest of the book) or at best, two pages. I can find more if I dig harder, but if I have to dig harder when it comes to a theme, was it really done effectively?
Whatever. The more I think about it, the angrier I get, but I can’t bring myself to give a lower rating.

So even if you’re on the fence about the book, I still recommend it. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this book was great, personally. It is what it is. If you can stomach the things men get up to in myths, then by all means dive in. I can’t—not without something to punch or someone to complain to—so that sentiment definitely affected my reading experience.

Last warning: since it’s so male-centric and they throw the concept of rape around like it’s practically nothing, the messaging gets REALLY REALLY off at certain parts, esp in the latter half. Please tread carefully. While I do think we can attribute that to the men themselves, given that there’s little to no significant thematic resolution for the women (if there was one it was incredibly weak), the justification and normalization rape can be VERY distressing.

RIP to the ones who got the least justice in the book btw: women, dogs, and communists. Babies too i guess.

And imagine my horror (and eventual resignation) at finding out “Beauty Is A Wound” was quoted by Krisan, the rotten cherry on top of this shitcake—no offense to Eka Kurniawan. I still think the author has a lot of truly brilliant moments in this book, and though I’m glad it exists, I still would like come compensation for powering through this. And for realizing we were ending the book with Krisan. Krisan!

Special mention: Comrade Kliwon. You were surprisingly a joy to read and identify with. If only you didn’t stiff prostitutes, treat them so shitty, annoy the hell out of Dewi Ayu, groom two girls, and kidnap one of them.

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