The novel attacks Suharto’s regime for using religion (Islam and Christianity) to control bodies while allowing corporate exploitation of peasants.
: The novel is told through the perspectives of four female friends— Laila, Shakuntala, Cok, and Yasmin —who grew up together. Laila : A photographer who falls in love with a married man.
After winning the Jakarta Arts Council Novel Competition in 1997, the book was translated into English in 2005 by Pamela Allen.