yulia supadmo

As a novel based on historical events and context, it does deserve appreciation. However, I found myself unable to be fully immersed in the emotions and psyche of the key characters as they undergo significant life events. It felt like the book tries so much to encapsulate such a long timeframe, but at the expense of getting the reader (well, maybe just me) to really connect and emphatize with the key protagonists' drives and motivations. This is especially true once I got to the second half of the book. Hence, by the end, none of the characters truly imprinted on me.