"An unforgiving tale of political horror and womanhood... Fascinating."―Mariana Enriquez
THREE SISTERS. A CARETAKER, A TRAVELLER, AND A BRIDE.
Mutiara and Maya’s lives are irrevocably altered when their younger sister Annisa straps a bomb to her waist and commits a devastating act.
As they grapple with grief, guilt, and unanswered questions, their search leads them to long-concealed secrets, forsaken family bonds, and
the unsettling prophecies of their grandmother, whose enigmatic wisdom has shaped the destinies of women across generations.
Paramaditha's haunting novel subversively blends Islamic mysticism, horror, and political reckoning, all seen through the ghostly lens of Indonesian folklore and occult traditions.
About the Author :
Intan Paramaditha is an Indonesian author and a Harvard Radcliffe Fellow. Her story collection Apple and Knife is part of the Vintage Classics Weird Girls series, and her novel The Wandering was longlisted for the Stella Prize and received the English PEN Translates Award. She holds a Ph.D. from New York University and teaches at Macquarie University, Sydney. She is co-founder of the feminist collective Sekolah Pemikiran Perempuan.
Stephen Epstein is the Director of the Asian Studies Institute at the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He translated Intan Paramaditha’s Apple and Knife.
Tiffany Tsao is a writer and literary translator. She is the author of the novel The Majesties, and the Oddfits fantasy trilogy. Her translation of Erikson Pasaribu’s Happy Stories, Mostly was longlisted for the International Booker Prize and awarded the Republic of Consciousness Prize 2022.
Review :
"Night of a Thousand Hells shows what it means to be a woman, and especially an Asian woman, in this fierce and relentless world. Paramaditha understands every glorious, perilous, bloody, unbearable, and stunning moment that comprises the million different facets of the brilliant entirety that is womanhood."
"Night of a Thousand Hells is written from the heart; as moving and immersive as it is stylish and important - a story of women trying to survive, propelled by the equal forces of rage and love, all set against a brilliantly realised world of myths, faith and devastating politics. Spellbinding."
"This is a novel of enormous range and ambition, dazzling in its many perspectives. From the electric opening pages, the three sisters will keep you up all night. Unlike anything I've read in years."
"Night of a Thousand Hells is full of natural lyricism and fascinating mythology. I loved watching how differently (and humanly) these sisters grappled with guilt, shame, and reconciliation."
"Night of a Thousand Hells is a rollercoaster of a book. Breathtaking and startling, with plenty of twists along the way, it will set your pulse and mind racing. Its narrators' voices are fresh and defiant, but its humanity is universal. An urgent interrogation of family, faith and freedom."
Praise for Apple and Knife:
“Dark, subversive... Here are fairy tales and myths reworked with a feminist bent.”―Tatler
“A phantasmagorical collection of short stories and reimagined tales, not unlike Angela Carter and Carmen Maria Machado.”―The Guardian
“Fiercely funny and feminist.”―Red
