Tanah Tabu

Di ujung sabar, ada perlawanan
Di batas nafsu, ada kehancuran
Dan airmata hanyalah untuk yang lemah

Curious about this novel written by Anindita S. Thayf after reading the tag line at the front of its cover as the First Winner of Sayembara Novel DKJ 2008.

The story takes place in Papua, not a common setting for a novel. The lead character here is a little girl named Leksi and her strong grandma, Mabel, her mom, Mace and her two pet friends, Pum and Kwee.

The author wrote about Papua --a beautiful place with its green forest, the rivers, the people and their unique culture-- in a detail way, it must be needed a serious research for all the description appeared in this novel. But talking about Papua, it's not only talking about good things, as we know, up until now there are also many problems there, the poverty, the illiteracy, the dispute between Papua people and the newcomers, the domestic violence done by drunk hubbies to their poor wives, and many more. Honestly, reading this novel makes me feel deep sympathy for Papua and all the problems around it.

Two thumbs up for Anindita, who could perfectly conveyed the story of Papua in a remarkable way. I love the way she told her story, all in all it really is a recommended novel.