An absolutely beautifully crafted plot. The language which at the beginning I thought was plain possibly due to the translator (Max Lane) begins to flower deeply towards the end of the book, heightening the emotional impact of the story and unfurling in its delicate petals they psychology of colonialism, of love, trust, and struggle. The author's critique of colonialism in Indonesia is compelling, moving, and most importantly invigorates the reader to learn more about the Dutch-Indonesian interactions.
This is not a perfect comparison, but I find "This Earth On Manking" to be analogous to Salman Rushdie's "Midnights Children" in that the historical context is extremely important to the psychology of the characters. Also having not much information about either one of these moments in time and culture,I find both of these novels to be full of information about both that I would have not run across in another way
I would highly recommend this book. It came to me through one of my tenants Bodhi, who is studying Indonesian history and politics at Cal. It took me only 4 days to read the book....yes it was that good or I am a big book nerd...either or its worth the read.
my 'read' shelf:
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