A review by ddnreads
Teh dan Pengkhianat by Iksaka Banu

adventurous hopeful reflective fast-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

3.5

Buku Iksana Banu pertama yang aku baca. Kumpulan cerpen ini menyajikan beragam sudut pandang orang pertama (which I love) berkebangsaan Belanda. Para orang Belanda ini diambil dari berbagai profesi. Tukang kue, asisten, orang militer, atau simply polisi daerah.

Rentang penyajian cerita dimulai dari pada saat penjajahan dimulai sampai dengan akhir masa penjajahan. Dari segi keberagaman, cerpen2 ini mampu mencakup seluruh daerah, dari mulai barat, tengah, dan timur Indonesia.

For the record, I love it when the author spat on the colonizers. Karena sejatinya tidak ada bentuk penjajahan yang baik. And this book served. Banyak sindiran2 menggelitik ttg bagaimana Belanda memandang Bumiputera Indonesia dan betapa perbuatan tersebut harus dikecam. Buku ini berhasil menyajikan sudut pandang "tidak biasa" warga Belanda tanpa meromantisasi penjajahan itu sendiri.

However, some stories are just not quite well executed. Ada yang berasa nggantung atau tidak kena feel-nya. At least for me. Some of them are kinda plain tbh.

My personal favourite goes to BELENGGU EMAS.
It was inspiring and I NEED TO KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT? I NEED THE STORY TO CONTINUE 😭😭😭😭

And I love the ending. It left a bittersweet taste to conclude the book.

If you're into peeking through unusual historical fiction (short stories compilation) set during the colonization era of Netherlands-Indonesia, gave this book a go. It revolved around discrimination, social gap, and segregation. 

I lost count the name of the characters or were some of them related in between stories? 😂

OH, and the "historical facts" intended were spotted on!!!

Overall, recommended 👌 a light enjoyable historical fiction.

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