Aart Van Beek

Island of Shadows: a Novel Aart Van Beek

From Island of Shadows: Abang's whole island was a world of shadows. He never quite knew what was real, who spoke the truth and whether a smile was really a smile... Lies were always being manufactured to protect the fragile and the guilty. The author takes us into a world filled with mystery and intrigue. He intimately sketches life in Indonesia under the "New Order" government (1965-1998) through the eyes of the three main characters. They are a beautiful singer, an English-born teacher and the son of a former political prisoner. Events of the 1960's cast a long shadow on their lives and lead them into a story with dramatic turns that ends in occupied East Timor.