The fourteen stories in The War reflect social problems in contemporary Indonesia. They speak about humanity, violence, injustice and love. “The War” itself portrayed a person who had no heart or feelings. Only a terrible internal war inside himself could sharpen his dull conscience.

“Mukminah Cried for Help” and “Stooges” described how violence had been a daily practices in Aceh, when the province was declared as the Military Operation Region during the New Order regime. Thousands of victims had been tortured or shot to death. It is one of the darkest days in the history of Indonesia.

“Hector and an Orange Picker” is a story about the impact of the abortive coup of Communist Party in Indonesia. Lots of those suspected involved in the coup had to live in exile for years and some of them had never returned to their beloved country.

Other stories depicted a wide variety of aspects in the life of the Indonesian people, such as noble idea, oddity, love and so on.

A collection of short stories by Sori Siregar
Language: English
Publisher: Moonaqua