Scan barcode
A review by misspalah
The Fisherman King by Kathrina Mohd Daud
5.0
“We are taught in school how old Brunei is. How much history we have. But the details of that history, like the details of our sultans are carefully glossed over. Few people have any idea of the scope of land and tradition and memory. Its not surprising. How can you take in and comprehend centuries of change and flux all linked back to a core that is something as fickle as water? Human memory is funny and fragile thing. That’s why we leave things behind - buildings, carvings, sculpture, jewels, stories - to tell people that we were once here”.
- The fisherman king by Kathrina Mohd Daud
.
.
One of the major setting in the book is Water Village or Known as ‘Kampong Ayer’ in Malay. I went there when i visited Brunei in 2016. Hence, reading the author’s imagery description of Kampong Ayer was so lush and vivid that it just threw me back into those travel memories. I must say that i love that the author managed to blend Bruneian folk tales, myth, magic, history and Brunei king’s genealogy in one epic novel. The prose was well-written and consistently balance throughout the novel while carrying a parallel narrative. The first narrative purposely brought us readers to understand the existence of Nabau, The Snake God which took place centuries before the current Brunei. The second narrative which were in the present time, we were introduced to Lisan And Bhatia. I particularly enjoyed the relationship story between Lisan and Bathia. They were more than a soulmate - They were a teammate and a best friend. This came from someone that didn’t really enjoy romance in any novel she have read. The love that they both have for each other is complex yet so strong. I swear that i hate Lisan when i first read about him - he left his wife for many years, then came back thinking that his wife will celebrate his return and felt betrayed when his wife already moved on and married Hussain. The audacity this man has for feeling that he has ownership over Bhatia is infuriating. Again, it does speak to the author’s skill to write about such a selfish man and have his actions to be justifiable at the end. Bhatia did not forgive him for leaving but she understood him - his pining over his lost heritage and ancestry, his ambition in finding the treasure and his obsession on tracing his history as he claimed that he has royal blood. Overall, this novel did well in paying an homage to Brunei’s rich oral traditions. It even made me felt so close to my own culture. If you have heard and read many Malaysian folklore, you may feel familiar with Bruneian folklore. It does bear resemblance though it was not 100% similar. One of them is The Jong Batu legend (or the tale of Nakhoda Manis) which is a bit similar with Si Tenggang. Another one is Nabau - The Snake God. As the variation of how Nabau came to existence can be trace back from Iban and local chinese in Sarawak. To those who are not familiar with Bruneian Folklore yet you still pick up this book after reading my review, read it like how you would read a captivating story that has strong influence of magical realism. I am ashamed that this is my first Bruneian Literature. Despite being a Malaysia’s Neighbouring country, It is not easily to get compared to Indonesian and Singaporean Literature.
- The fisherman king by Kathrina Mohd Daud
.
.
One of the major setting in the book is Water Village or Known as ‘Kampong Ayer’ in Malay. I went there when i visited Brunei in 2016. Hence, reading the author’s imagery description of Kampong Ayer was so lush and vivid that it just threw me back into those travel memories. I must say that i love that the author managed to blend Bruneian folk tales, myth, magic, history and Brunei king’s genealogy in one epic novel. The prose was well-written and consistently balance throughout the novel while carrying a parallel narrative. The first narrative purposely brought us readers to understand the existence of Nabau, The Snake God which took place centuries before the current Brunei. The second narrative which were in the present time, we were introduced to Lisan And Bhatia. I particularly enjoyed the relationship story between Lisan and Bathia. They were more than a soulmate - They were a teammate and a best friend. This came from someone that didn’t really enjoy romance in any novel she have read. The love that they both have for each other is complex yet so strong. I swear that i hate Lisan when i first read about him - he left his wife for many years, then came back thinking that his wife will celebrate his return and felt betrayed when his wife already moved on and married Hussain. The audacity this man has for feeling that he has ownership over Bhatia is infuriating. Again, it does speak to the author’s skill to write about such a selfish man and have his actions to be justifiable at the end. Bhatia did not forgive him for leaving but she understood him - his pining over his lost heritage and ancestry, his ambition in finding the treasure and his obsession on tracing his history as he claimed that he has royal blood. Overall, this novel did well in paying an homage to Brunei’s rich oral traditions. It even made me felt so close to my own culture. If you have heard and read many Malaysian folklore, you may feel familiar with Bruneian folklore. It does bear resemblance though it was not 100% similar. One of them is The Jong Batu legend (or the tale of Nakhoda Manis) which is a bit similar with Si Tenggang. Another one is Nabau - The Snake God. As the variation of how Nabau came to existence can be trace back from Iban and local chinese in Sarawak. To those who are not familiar with Bruneian Folklore yet you still pick up this book after reading my review, read it like how you would read a captivating story that has strong influence of magical realism. I am ashamed that this is my first Bruneian Literature. Despite being a Malaysia’s Neighbouring country, It is not easily to get compared to Indonesian and Singaporean Literature.