In Lost Country and Other Divergences exceeds my expectations. The last two stories are nightmarish and might haunt me for a long time, but I’m glad I read them. They are not for the faint-hearted. Everything is shown in excruciating detail and beautifully, or should I say, grossly well-written.
Each story has its own uniqueness and
readers experience it through the characters, which I think says a lot about
the author’s skill in looping them inside the stories. It makes them feel
attached and invested. Some tales are so close to home and realistic, they feel
poignant, and it adds to the ‘feels’ after reading them, which is the power of
a good book. Even when the ending is not what I expected or hoped for, some
because of supernatural factors, and there are tales with similar types of
endings, it’s the journey to the revelation that is the strongest factor for
most of them.
The Pale Man is one of the good examples of realistic built-up and the struggles of ordinary people, similar to the haunting Garuda, which is an interesting choice for the title because Garuda is also a fictional symbol in both Indonesian and Thai culture.
I applaud the level of knowledge shown by the author, and the captivating story ‘showing’ style that elevates this book in my opinion. It’s a five-star read throughout.
5 stars out of 5
