hazeyjane_2's review
emotional
slow-paced
2.0
Annah the Javanese was my favourite story and the standout: Riwoe took a historical figure and placed her front and centre. The atmosphere was arresting.
As much as I liked The Fish Girl, it felt a bit like it was trying to do the same thing, with less success. The character of Mina didn't seem quite as compelling as Anna.
Of the contemporary stories, I liked the one about childbirth and the one about the actress. The rest fell a bit flat for me.
As much as I liked The Fish Girl, it felt a bit like it was trying to do the same thing, with less success. The character of Mina didn't seem quite as compelling as Anna.
Of the contemporary stories, I liked the one about childbirth and the one about the actress. The rest fell a bit flat for me.
gracebowskill's review
Really solid writing, dealing deftly with some challenging themes, but short story format is not really for me. Just couldn’t get excited about coming back to this.
tackling_my_tbr's review
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
It’s been a while since I’ve read something from the Australian literature scene that’s worth talking about, and I’m so glad that this latest anthology by Mirandi Riwoe has broken that dry spell!
Riwoe’s prose is melancholic in a way that really digs at your core. There’s a heavy palpable sadness that shrouds every protagonist, many of them trapped by the cruelties of colonisation, in circumstances only afforded to the marginalised. A lot of these stories are devoid of any kindness, exemplifying the inhumanity that casual and blatant racism has wrought throughout history.
Riwoe is an Australian with Indonesian-Chinese heritage and her background has inspired many of the stories contained in THE BURNISHED SUN. It’s an impressive collection, spanning across historical and contemporary contexts within Australia and abroad. Her stories speak to themes of alienation and identity, her narrative voice moving effortlessly between the young and the old.
I was drawn to this anthology as my own maternal family is Indonesian-Chinese. Although I don’t speak the language, I have witnessed the hardships faced by many domestic servants when I have visited relatives in Indonesia. Stories like THE FISH GIRL, plucked for servitude at such a young age, and DIGNITY, where mothers have no other choice but to leave their babies behind while they seek work away from home — these are all situations I’ve seen with my own eyes.
I can also relate to stories like SHE IS RUBY WONG, who, despite being the most gifted actress auditioning for the lead in a community play, was cast in the role of the “foreigner” (strangely enough, I have a similar memory from my own childhood). And INVITATION, where a childcare educator suggests that a boy’s misbehaviour could be autism rather than simply the result of a language barrier (my own mother has been asked if I had mutism when I was a similar age — I was just painfully shy).
This is a superb anthology that really highlights how multifaceted otherness is and how affecting it can be. Keep an eye out for this one, it’s a standout.
Thank you University of Queensland Press for the review copy.
wtb_michael's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Brilliant! Bookended by two gorgeous novellas (incl The Fish Girl, originally published a few years ago), this collection is as empathetic and wise as you'd expect from Mirandi
More...