The Book of Jakarta: A City in Short Fiction

Indonesian Shorts
Review of the Comma Press paperback edition (official publication date March 2021

The Book of Jakarta provides an excellent variety of short stories centred around the very varied multicultural world of the Indonesian capital. It is part of Comma Press' "A City in Short Fiction" series along with titles such as The Book of Khartoum: A City in Short Fiction, The Book of Cairo: A City in Short Fiction etc.

I was most easily drawn to the stories that covered areas of common human issues such as fighting the bureaucracy in The Aroma of Shrimp Paste and seniors and aging in Grown-Up Kids. All of the stories were well translated and came with several footnotes to explain the more inside-baseball language nuances & references. show more Food items were less often explained and required some googling for further understanding (I confess to almost complete ignorance of Indonesian cuisine aside from Nasi goreng).

1. B217AN *** by Ratri Ninditya| translated by Mikael Johani. A woman who is about to get married goes out on a final date with an ex-boyfriend.
2. The Aroma of Shrimp Paste ***** by Hanna Fransisca translated by Khairani Barokka. A woman attempting to get a passport runs through various bureaucratic hurdles including having to cover up her leg-baring shorts at the passport office.
3. The Problem *** by Sabda Armandio translated by Rara Rizal. Street buskers are caught up in the middle of anti-government protests.
4. Buyan **** by Utiuts translated by Zoë McLaughlin. Sci-fi story of a driverless taxi riding amok into a flooded section of Jakarta based on outdated city maps in its programming.
5. The Secret from Kramat Tunggak ***** by Dewi Kharisma Michellia translated by Shaffira Gayatri. A daughter comes to understand her mother's secret.
6. Grown-Up Kids ***** by Ziggy Zezsyazeoviennazabrizkie translated by Annie Tucker. Seniors go on a roller-coaster ride with a surprising twist.
7. Haji Syiah *** by Ben Sohib translated by Paul Agusta. A cleric attempts to reform two drunks who attend his prayer meetings.
8. The Sun Sets in the North ***** by Cyntha Hariadi translated by Eliza Vitri Handayani. Two schoolgirls Tata (Renata) and Ace (Grace) become friends despite their different class backgrounds.
9. All Theatre is False **** by Afrizal Malna translated by Syarafina Vidyadhana. A street beggar imagines his life as an acting role.
10. A Day in the Life of a Guy from Depok Who Travels to Jakarta *** by Yusi Avianto Pareanom translated by Daniel Owen. Exactly what the title says, a man running various errands in the capital encounters various people and takes various transportation during a single day.

I read The Book of Jakarta due to its selection for the 2021 Borderless Book Club for which it is the March 11, 2021 selection. Although not officially published until March 2021, orders direct to the publisher Comma Press are already being fulfilled (as of January 2021). show less