Endless road, a novel by an Indonesian author.

Book title : Jalan Tak Ada Ujung (Endless road). Author : Mohtar Lubis

Now I want to present you a review of an Indonesian novel written by another Indonesian writer - Mohtar Lubis. The setting is Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, in mid 1940's. It was in August 1945 when Sukarno and Hatta proclaimed Indonesia's independence from the Dutch colonialism. But the Dutch government would not give up their colony and soon sent troops to Indonesia. The young republic fought back. The novel tells about the stormy days in the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta. The main character is Isa, a modest school teacher. Life is hard for Isa since he got very little salary and he lives in a conflict area. One morning when he went to his school he saw a skirmish between guerilla fighters versus the famous Gurkha soldiers who were under British command. Isa has a tender heart. He did not like fighting. His heart deeply hurts and he was upset when he saw someboby hurt. But he had to join the guerilla fighters otherwise he would be their enemy. He had no choice. Then he knew Hazil, a young guerilla commander who appointed Isa as a treasurer for guerilla unit. His job is to manage the unit's fund and ammunition. Their duty make them get closer. Hazil came to see Isa a frequently. Meanwhile Isa had a beautiful wife who was unhappy with her marriage with Isa. Fatimah was disappointed because Isa was not a real man. He could not accomplish his duty on bed. They adopted a boy since they did not have any childen. When Hazil met Fatimah a forbidden love grew. Then they went too far. For several months they could hide their sins. But one day Isa found Hazil's pipe in his bedroom. He was upset, suspicious, jealous, angry and disappointed. In 1947 Hazil planned an attack on Ducth army. He told the plan in detail to Isa. He told that Isa's duty is just as a watchman. He was assigned to watch and report the attack. One night Isa watched carefully outside a cinema in Senen area. Among spectators who came out of the cinema there were several Dutch soldier. As they approached the street a loud explosion was heard. He saw a Dutch soldier was wounded. Then he ran as fast as he could and hid. But Isa could not hide long. One day Dutch soldiers arrested him. Then he was jailed at the same cell with Hazil. They both were tortured everyday. They suffered a lot from the wounds. Hazil was so severely injured that he could not stand it. His wounds was so serious that he finally died. Having undergone the peak of pain and fear, Isa could overcome the horror of torture. Finally he was ready to face the fiercest torture from the Dutch soldiers. When he heard their shoe step coming he was very calm. He was free from fear. He reached freedom. In my opinion Mohtar Lubis tried to describe the horror of the revolution among many young fighters. Some of them are real fighters but some of them are not. It was really a difficult time for most Indonesians. Their economy, family, were destroyed by colonialist. Many people died and wounded but after internal mental struggle people could overcome their fear and sorrow. My father who was a freedom fighter often told me the bittter years he had gone through under the Dutch and Japanese occupation. Once he was arrested by the Dutch army and jailed for about three months. Now he's gone in glory. Mohtar Lubis is a journalist and novelist. He was born in Padang, west Sumatra in March 7, 1922. He was active in journalism since colonial era. He established Antara News Agency and then Indonesia Raya daily and Horizon magazine. In the Sukarno era he was jailed for nine months. He wrote several novels and short story. His short story antology are Si Jamal, (Someone's name) and Perempuan (Woman). His novels : Tidak Ada Esok (There is no tomorrow), Senja di Jakarta (Twilight in Jakarta), Harimau! Harimau ! (Tiger! Tiger!) Maut dan Cinta (Death and love).