From the word go it shouts Marquez—and, naturally, if Marquez is there, can Rushdie be far behind? Beauty is a Wound evokes the well-trodden world of magical realism from the very first sentence. People jump off mountains and vanish in the sky, ghosts haunt the village. Dead pigs transmute, perhaps karmically, into human beings. The book is an account of love, lust, fantasy and violence.
Beauty is a Wound tells the story of Dewi Ayu, who is half-Dutch and who became a prostitute during the time of the Japanese occupation. Dewi’s life and death covers various generations and peculiarities. Kurniawan’s place of choice is Halimunda, a small island that would have fallen off the map except for its Japanese spy population. Halimunda is Indonesian history in miniature: the Dutch occupation, the native population, the Japanese invasion and clashes with Communists and communities. It is Kurniawan’s Macondo and, like 100 Years, is a...
