The Question of Red
The Question of Red is another of Amazon's translated works that I picked up for free on world book day. This one was actually translated by the author herself, who is bilingual, and I think that helped retain a lot of the poetry of the original story. Pamuntjak has an incredible gift for language. It was easy to get caught up that language, which made the rest of the story go down easier.
Because this tale is deeply tragic. It centers on Amba, a woman named for a character in the Mahabharata who was twice scorned and doomed to a life of bitterness and vengeance. The modern Amba doesn't really believe that her fate is so tied up with that of her namesake. But when she finds herself engaged to a man named Salwa and in love with a man named Bhisma, just like the Amba of the stories, she begins to have her doubts. And to self-sabotage. In attempting to escape her fate, she might just bring it down upon herself.
This is a book about stories and how they shape our lives. We tell each other stories about where we came from, who we are, what's happening in the world. None of it gets at the whole truth, but they are still powerful enough to alter the course of our lives. And at some point you have to take the reins and write your own story, or you'll always be at the mercy of other people.
Mixed in with this fascinating tale, was a slice of history that I wasn't as familiar with as I ought to have been. Learning more about the world has been my favorite part of reading these books in translation, and it has me motivated to seek out even more international literature.
In this specific case, I learned about Indonesia in the 1960s, where the Cold War didn't remain cold. The key events of Amba's life are all tangled up with the September 30 Movement and the subsequent Communist Purge. She and Bhisma are separated in the chaos and Bhisma is sent to a prison camp. The book begins at the ending, with Amba finally discovering what became of Bhisma forty years earlier and then goes back to fill in all the pieces.
I really, really liked this book for a whole lot of reasons. The structure and style of the writing were like catnip to me. The unbearable tragedy of Amba and Bhisma's love was epic. And the history lesson that I can now hang on these characters and thus retain better make me a better person. As terrifying as the events of this book were, the fact that they hit so close to home actually gave me hope that things will get better for our country, too. Nothing is forever, and we can rewrite our story.
Because this tale is deeply tragic. It centers on Amba, a woman named for a character in the Mahabharata who was twice scorned and doomed to a life of bitterness and vengeance. The modern Amba doesn't really believe that her fate is so tied up with that of her namesake. But when she finds herself engaged to a man named Salwa and in love with a man named Bhisma, just like the Amba of the stories, she begins to have her doubts. And to self-sabotage. In attempting to escape her fate, she might just bring it down upon herself.
This is a book about stories and how they shape our lives. We tell each other stories about where we came from, who we are, what's happening in the world. None of it gets at the whole truth, but they are still powerful enough to alter the course of our lives. And at some point you have to take the reins and write your own story, or you'll always be at the mercy of other people.
Mixed in with this fascinating tale, was a slice of history that I wasn't as familiar with as I ought to have been. Learning more about the world has been my favorite part of reading these books in translation, and it has me motivated to seek out even more international literature.
In this specific case, I learned about Indonesia in the 1960s, where the Cold War didn't remain cold. The key events of Amba's life are all tangled up with the September 30 Movement and the subsequent Communist Purge. She and Bhisma are separated in the chaos and Bhisma is sent to a prison camp. The book begins at the ending, with Amba finally discovering what became of Bhisma forty years earlier and then goes back to fill in all the pieces.
I really, really liked this book for a whole lot of reasons. The structure and style of the writing were like catnip to me. The unbearable tragedy of Amba and Bhisma's love was epic. And the history lesson that I can now hang on these characters and thus retain better make me a better person. As terrifying as the events of this book were, the fact that they hit so close to home actually gave me hope that things will get better for our country, too. Nothing is forever, and we can rewrite our story.
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