Scan barcode
A review by shannonsnextchapter
Girl of the Southern Sea by Michelle Kadarusman
4.0
The Girl of the Southern Sea by Michelle Kadarusman is a moving, heartfelt story of a young dreamer from Jakarta. Main character fourteen-year-old Nia spends her days caring for her younger brother, working at her family’s fried banana cart, trying to stop her father from drinking arak, and dreaming up stories about Dewi Kadita, a mythical Javanese princess. Throughout the story, Nia discovers her sense of self, her own power, and her capability of pursuing the future she hopes for.
Michelle Kadarusman is an Indonesian-Australian author, and this perspective allows her to paint a clear, vivid representation of her story’s Indonesian setting. The Girl of the Southern Sea takes place in a richly described Jakarta, a setting that informs many of Nia’s experiences, values, and beliefs. In this story, worldbuilding is a key feature, and Michelle achieves a beautifully executed result.
Nia, Girl of the Southern Sea’s main character, is still just a young teenager, and yet she already bears burdens far beyond her years. Since the loss of her mother five years ago, Nia has taken on the responsibility of raising her younger brother and keeping an eye on her bapak, who increasingly turns to arak to quell his grief. Without money for the education she needs to achieve her dreams, Nia must reconsider ways of achieving her goals—and even what these are. Nia is forced to navigate mounting responsibilities and changing values. Throughout the book, Nia’s character grows in important ways, making her character arc powerful and meaningful.
Girl of the Southern Sea is a story of family, responsibility, honesty, duty, dreams, and more. I recommend it to fans of The Theory of Hummingbirds (also by Michelle Kadarusman).
A big, big thank you to the teams at Ausyabloggers and UQP for including me in the Girl of the Southern Sea blog tour. Be sure to check out the other stops!
Want to talk books and read more of my reviews? Find me on INSTAGRAM!
Michelle Kadarusman is an Indonesian-Australian author, and this perspective allows her to paint a clear, vivid representation of her story’s Indonesian setting. The Girl of the Southern Sea takes place in a richly described Jakarta, a setting that informs many of Nia’s experiences, values, and beliefs. In this story, worldbuilding is a key feature, and Michelle achieves a beautifully executed result.
Nia, Girl of the Southern Sea’s main character, is still just a young teenager, and yet she already bears burdens far beyond her years. Since the loss of her mother five years ago, Nia has taken on the responsibility of raising her younger brother and keeping an eye on her bapak, who increasingly turns to arak to quell his grief. Without money for the education she needs to achieve her dreams, Nia must reconsider ways of achieving her goals—and even what these are. Nia is forced to navigate mounting responsibilities and changing values. Throughout the book, Nia’s character grows in important ways, making her character arc powerful and meaningful.
Girl of the Southern Sea is a story of family, responsibility, honesty, duty, dreams, and more. I recommend it to fans of The Theory of Hummingbirds (also by Michelle Kadarusman).
A big, big thank you to the teams at Ausyabloggers and UQP for including me in the Girl of the Southern Sea blog tour. Be sure to check out the other stops!
Want to talk books and read more of my reviews? Find me on INSTAGRAM!