Book Review: Mata di Tanah Melus (Okky Madasari)

Back again with ubiii🍠😸

It's been a while since I finally finished a book – I’ve been in a reading slump for too long.

But today, I’m reviewing an Indonesian book I randomly picked on the Ipusnas app while searching for Okky Madasari’s.

Synopsis: Matara, during her long-awaited holiday, begins to question why her mother didn’t take her to a popular tourist destination. Their journey doesn’t feel like a typical vacation. The passengers on the plane don’t seem to be traveling for leisure, and that same sense of unease follows them when they arrive in Belu. Their trip begins with an incident where they accidentally hit a local cow and are forced to pay a 20 million compensation. As Matara keeps having dreams of being chased by cows, her mother agrees to carry out a traditional ceremony to ask for permission to enter Belu and ensure their safety there. However, during their journey, Matara goes missing.

Fantasy with an Indonesian backdrop

As someone who loves historical fiction, this book really caught my attention because it’s set in a place with real history – Belu, a regency in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). During Matara’s journey, several places are featured, like Mount Lakaan and the Fulan Fehan Savanna. Even though it's a fantasy novel, it keeps bring the local beliefs and traditions to the plot.

Belu, NTT

Moral lesson

In terms of moral message, this book focuses on environmental destruction caused by human greed, seen through Matara’s encounters with a group of crocodile hunters, her conversation with the butterfly queen, and the Melus tribe’s fear of outsiders.

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The book feels a bit slow in the beginning and too rushed toward the end. Since this feels like the first book in a series, the author explains a lot of Matara’s background (at home, at school, and as the daughter of two writers). Unfortunately, towards the end, it feels a bit rushed, especially with the transitions between one tribe to another.

Overall rating: 4.5/5. I’ll definitely check out another title from the series and maybe talk about it in my next review 👋