The years of the voiceless by Okky Madasari

Set in Jakarta, Indonesia. Reviewed on 2018/11: https://www.instagram.com/p/BqxYgVKHFmK/

I might not do a great job at expressing my feelings as effusively as some of you do here on IG. But I’m so so so grateful for all the amazing recommendations on books and writers which I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise if it wasn’t for all you, great people. This is definitely the case here. I discovered #theyearsofthevoiceless by #okkymadasarithanks to @readwit and her great book choices and insightful reviews. #resistanceseems to be in everyone’s minds these days. But what happens when the most important #actofresistance you’d ever undertake in your life is against the people you love the most, the people that raised you and also want the best for you in their own way? A lot of the main issues #madasari exposes here have been treated before ad nauseam: strained #motherdaugther relationship, clash of generations, tradition versus progress, etc.. The importance here resides in the setting and the empathy that these characters can ignite in both #indonesian people and also outsiders like myself reading stories set in #indonesia in rural #java . I’m convinced that the main point of reading stories such as this one is the idea that the experiences we live through be it in New York or Rio can also happen in New Delhi and #jakarta. Obviously the specific events and names in the story give a particular aspect which refers to an Indonesian reality. No doubt about it. I don’t want to belittle that. But what I treasure the most reading these “same” stories in different settings is how much our shared humanity will always brings up hope and solidarity even without knowing or understanding each other. #recommended #indonesianliterature#javanese #indonesianwomen #suharto#entrok #womensrights #humanrights#GramediaPustakaUtama #gramediabooks