The world-renowned author of The Mute's Soliloquy and The Buru Quartet offers this heartbreaking story of a beautiful young woman from a fishing village who is arranged to marry a wealthy aristocrat. Based on the life of his own grandmother, and showcasing his breathtaking literary skill, the story develops as the girl must leave her family and home behind to move to the city and become the lady' of her husband's house. 'As eloquent and sensual as James Baldwin... Pramoedya should get in line for the Nobel Prize' - Los Angeles Times'