Description
Book SynopsisAmid the lush abundance of Java's landscape, two boys spend their days exploring the vast lakes and teeming forests. But as time passes the boys come to realize that their shared sense of adventure cannot bridge the gulf between their backgrounds, for one is the son of a Dutch plantation owner, and the other the son of a servant. Inevitably, as they grow up, they grow estranged and it is not until years later that they meet again. It will be an explosive and emblematic meeting that marks them even more deeply than their childhood friendship did.
Trade ReviewUnostentatious charm... an instant classic -- Emma Hagestadt * Independent *
A book that truly breathes... It can break, haunt and stir you... Haasse has a fine, exact way with her story... Mesmerisingly lovely and then suddenly shocking; you have to react. After 60 or more years, and in a quite different world, it is still a wake-up call... Perfect -- Michael Pye * Scotsman *
Distinguished, composed with intense concentration, with a cruel heart-breaking climax and a brave, passionate coda... [It] demands several readings... Immaculately constructed -- Paul Binding * Times Literary Supplement *
An understated little gem of a book and this fresh and vibrant translation is an event worthy of a wholehearted welcome * New Internationalist *
A translation as fresh as any Booker nominee... beautifully judged and a genuinely intriguing insight into the end of a European empire -- Thomas Quinn * Big Issue *
Beautiful... conceived and executed with intelligence and grace * Three Percent *
A classic * Good Reading Copy *
