To stumble upon this beautiful Rainmaker's Daughter was a rare delight. This is a kind of work that must get celebrated for a bevy of reasons. In the midst of a severe and protracted draught in Indonesia's literary prose landscape, the finely-written novel in English is a thirst quenching oasis. One may not recall ever reading such a beautifully written piece with uncanny observant details by this fellow Indonesian Richard Oh. Oh's The Rainmaker's Daughter makes a very arresting reading. If not for some obligation, I would have finished reading it at one go! What is it about? Well, first of all and chiefly it's about … romance, involving a young professional lawyer Hadrian and a woman who refused to tell him let alone me her name--the rainmaker's daughter. It's about the pursuit in life. It's about the relation of one's past, present and future, in fashion that would remind one of Kundera's Immortality and Roy's presentation of the God of Small Things. It's also about portrayal of almost-dynamic mundane living with Jakarta backdrop and the workings of uncanny tribal belief systems interwoven not always in harmony deep in the heart of Borneo Island. This novel can be light or serious--depending on whether one is impressed by its surface or inner layer. To me, it is a bit of both. One may, as I did, find many gems in this deceivingly simple work of art. In terms of diction, the Rainmaker's Daughter is as beautiful as it is rich.
I'd heartily classify it under the must-read and would look forward to Richard's next masterpieces.
