For Maya, history is like a dream, and her dreams are like a history of her life and how it relates to others. Effortlessly defying and calling into question time and space, Maya inhabits fantastical realities filled with shamans, romantic longing, a daughter's struggles, and a flying dragon.
Lyrically flowing between Maya's multiple realities, The Original Dream is the story of a young independent Indonesian woman trying to break free from cultural and social conventions while also searching for her place among family and friends. With guidance from her parents, co-workers, and sister, along with a new-born filled with the wisdom of elders, Maya navigates her perceptions, looking for answers to unknown questions. Whether soaring through the night-time sky, caring for her nephew, or tending to guests at the hotel where she works, she tries to delineate the difference between dreams and reality and if such a difference even matters.
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My father is a moon orchid, white, from the jungle. 1
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(AmazonCrossing, 1 January 2017, ebook, 290 pages, bought from @AmazonKindle, translated by Linda Owens)
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I'd never heard of the book or author before so I had no idea what to expect. This was an Amazon First Reads choice in December 2016 that I never got round to reading. This is a strange, beautiful book. I've not read anything quite like it before. There are fantast elements in it as Maya's dreams filled with magic and fantastical creates but some chapters are rooted in her real-world. The narrative point of view shirts between first and second person. The Original Dream is beautifully written and full of wonder.