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soupqueen's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Colonisation
A lot of really bad things happen in this book, but the descriptions are always detached, making everything feel less graphicimaginefishes's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Alcoholism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Bullying and Grief
shainalite's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
iellv's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War
jiao_li's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Tokoh di dalam buku ini banyak bgt btw, it amazes me that the author can made every characters diverse! And ofcourse, it's kinda hard for me to keep up with all the characters and events that happened in the book:')
Aku suka tokoh utama perempuannya. Dewi Ayu dan anak-anaknya tuh tenang banget, walaupun mereka aneh sih—tp semua orang di buku ini jg aneh. About the male characters.. ugh they were really annoying, only cares about sex and women. Kayaknya satu-satunya yang waras di buku ini cuma si penggali kubur Kamino.
The book has a twist near the end, and IT WAS INSANE! I have to put down this book in disbelief several times. Intinya buku ini mungkin nggak akan masuk buku favoritku, tapi aku bakal merekomendasikan buku ini ke orang lain karena aku suka ceritanya yang aneh dan gila.
Graphic: Rape and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Gun violence
Minor: War
thegodfather's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism
brusboks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
There are a lot of content warnings for this book. And at times the amount of rape is at times so overwhelming and tiresome that the only thing you can do is just take a physical break from the book.
However, this is also a central point of the book, as well as providing the reader with a feeling of neusea at times. This is the story of how Indonesia was raped, time and time again.
Through the good use of Indonesian folklore as well as Indonesian history the story takes us through the most formative decades in contemporary Indonesian history. And it shows brutally, through the rape, incest and violence towards a family across generations how Indonesia, for all it's beauty, has time and time again been fucked over by other colonizing and conquering nations and states. But also how it has fought back, at times in really cunning ways.
A neccessary counterpoint to this is the use of dark humour and fairytales. Every chapter in itself could be read as a seperate modern fairytale, but is also an epic story of a family across generations. The author is a brilliant storyteller.
If you can stomach it, it is highly recommended. But be prepared for what lies ahead. Beauty is a wound.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Stalking, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
liagatha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War
adrigodebison's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Excrement, and Sexual harassment
lauralaurens's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence