Scan barcode
toxicpick's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
kemie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
3.75
evelyn_parkhouse_reads's review
4.0
Wandering and slow to begin with (in a nice way) to then have the last 5 or so pages be some of the most horrible violence to a young girl I’ve potentially ever read. Not graphic, but deeply sad.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Rape
lisc3's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
competencefantasy's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
satch's review against another edition
5.0
I read this in one go, standing up in the aisle of the library for the first half, then found a couch for the rest. Incredible book, and absolutely heartbreaking.
katarinabee's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this story. I find adaptations really interesting - I like the feeling of a story expanding to be seen from different perspectives.
I haven't read the original short story that this is based on (The Four Dutchmen by W. Somerset Maugham) but still appreciated that sense of the protagonist (a young Indonesian girl called Mina) getting the chance to tell her story, in her own voice. In the original, she is apparently never even given a name; but in this novella, we're given context about who she is and where she's from, and how she's taken advantage of by almost all the men in her life.
I felt like I was really pulled into Mina's body - you felt the burning and itching of her eczema, the claustrophobic feeling of her servants uniform, her experiences of tasting new foods, and the smells that reminded her of home. Overall, a really great short read.
There's also a great TED talk where the author talks about how she is motivated by "writing back" to colonialist writers to give marginalised people a voice.
https://youtu.be/2DawemPcwms
I haven't read the original short story that this is based on (The Four Dutchmen by W. Somerset Maugham) but still appreciated that sense of the protagonist (a young Indonesian girl called Mina) getting the chance to tell her story, in her own voice. In the original, she is apparently never even given a name; but in this novella, we're given context about who she is and where she's from, and how she's taken advantage of by almost all the men in her life.
I felt like I was really pulled into Mina's body - you felt the burning and itching of her eczema, the claustrophobic feeling of her servants uniform, her experiences of tasting new foods, and the smells that reminded her of home. Overall, a really great short read.
There's also a great TED talk where the author talks about how she is motivated by "writing back" to colonialist writers to give marginalised people a voice.
https://youtu.be/2DawemPcwms
naraya's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jaclyn_sixminutesforme's review against another edition
4.0
read as part of Riwoe's re-release within The Burnished Sun - a stand-out read and one that complimented the collection of shorter stories really well. The focus on women and girls and untold narratives, stories typically silenced. Riwoe has a talent for characterisation and bringing the reader up to speed quickly with the depths of a character (no mean feat in short fiction!)
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
‘Remember the day you must return to me, …’
In fewer than one hundred pages of storytelling, Ms Riwoe creates a character who is now haunting me. Mina is an Indonesian girl living with her parents in a small fishing village. She is chosen by a Dutch merchant to work in his household. Mina did not want to leave home, but the decision is her father’s and she has no choice. Once she arrives, she works in the kitchen with Ibu Tana. One of the things that makes Mina’s new life more bearable is Ajat, the boy from her village who also works there. Mina longs to return to her village, to what is familiar.
‘The fish girl has brought the smell of the sea with her.’
Ms Riwoe brings Mina’s world to life, with her descriptions of food, of people, of the bustle of markets, and of the tropical weather. But while Mina may have the limited freedom to make some choices, her life is no longer her own. And choices often have unforeseen consequences. I find myself wondering whether (and how) Mina’s life could have been different once she left the fishing village.
This novella was a joint winner of the 2017 Seizure Viva La Novella Prize. It was sparked by the description of a ‘Malay Trollope’ in W. Somerset Maugham’s story ‘The Four Dutchmen.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
In fewer than one hundred pages of storytelling, Ms Riwoe creates a character who is now haunting me. Mina is an Indonesian girl living with her parents in a small fishing village. She is chosen by a Dutch merchant to work in his household. Mina did not want to leave home, but the decision is her father’s and she has no choice. Once she arrives, she works in the kitchen with Ibu Tana. One of the things that makes Mina’s new life more bearable is Ajat, the boy from her village who also works there. Mina longs to return to her village, to what is familiar.
‘The fish girl has brought the smell of the sea with her.’
Ms Riwoe brings Mina’s world to life, with her descriptions of food, of people, of the bustle of markets, and of the tropical weather. But while Mina may have the limited freedom to make some choices, her life is no longer her own. And choices often have unforeseen consequences. I find myself wondering whether (and how) Mina’s life could have been different once she left the fishing village.
This novella was a joint winner of the 2017 Seizure Viva La Novella Prize. It was sparked by the description of a ‘Malay Trollope’ in W. Somerset Maugham’s story ‘The Four Dutchmen.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith