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A review by maxycat
The Year of Living Dangerously by Christopher J. Koch
5.0
Oh em gee. This is a famous Aussie novel I had never heard about. Probably the best writing I’ve come across in years. Maybe it just suits my taste but Koch fucking nails character and symbolism so much so you find yourself reading the supernatural stories as if they’re plot. You have to hang off his every word to not miss huge transitions in the characters.
The story is set in 1965 in Jakarta as President Sukarno starts to lose his hold on Indonesia as the country is pulled by political forces left and right. The characters are journalists from Australia and other commonwealth countries that are not only going through their shit but in complete unison with the country’s political turmoil. Billy Kwan is probably the most memorable character I’ve come across and developed so well you consider him a mate. Hamilton is a character we all know too well even now decades later we all no the inconsistent bohemians that can’t escape rigid conservative brainwashing of their past. Basically a fuck boi of 1965 completely unaware of his devastating short comings until he is forced to reconcile them.
The story is set in 1965 in Jakarta as President Sukarno starts to lose his hold on Indonesia as the country is pulled by political forces left and right. The characters are journalists from Australia and other commonwealth countries that are not only going through their shit but in complete unison with the country’s political turmoil. Billy Kwan is probably the most memorable character I’ve come across and developed so well you consider him a mate. Hamilton is a character we all know too well even now decades later we all no the inconsistent bohemians that can’t escape rigid conservative brainwashing of their past. Basically a fuck boi of 1965 completely unaware of his devastating short comings until he is forced to reconcile them.