Okky Madasari Livres

"Marni is an illiterate Javanese woman who still practices ancestor worship. Through her offerings she finds her gods and puts forth her hopes. She knows nothing of the God brought in from that faraway land. Rahayu is Marni’s daughter, part of a new generation shaped by education and an easier life. She is a firm believer in God and in common sense. She stands against the ancestors, even against her own mother. To Marni, Rahayu is a soulless being. And to Rahayu, Marni is a sinner. Each lives according to her own creed, with nothing in common. Then come the sounds of the jackboots, constantly disrupting and destroying souls. They are the ones with the authority, the ones who play with power as they desire. They are the ones who can turn the skies and the fields red, and blood yellow, their guns ready to strike anywhere. Marni and Rahayu, these women from two generations who have never understood each other, finally find something in their lives that they agree on. Both are victims of those in power. Both fight against the guns."

Okky Madasaris Buch ist ein sozialkritischer Entwicklungsroman, der von Sasanas und Jakas Kampf für ihre persönliche Freiheit – sowohl körperlich als auch innerlich - handelt. Es wird alternierend aus der Perspektive von Sasana und Jaka erzählt, wobei neben dem Hauptthema unterschiedliche soziale Themen schonungslos angesprochen werden. Der Roman spielt zunächst während der Zeit der sogenannten neuen Ordnung unter dem Diktator Suharto und im letzten Drittel nach dessen Sturz in der jungen Demokratie in Indonesien.