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Blitar Magic Garage
Published by Monsoon
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
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Table of Contents
About the Book
For readers of Beauty Is a Wound (Eka Kurniawan) and The Garden of Evening Mists (Tan Twan Eng) – a darkly compelling tale of magic, corruption and resistance in Suharto’s Jakarta, as a former political prisoner and his neighbours fight to save their kampung from developers, the army and the relentless forces of “progress”.
Munin, a former political prisoner, runs Blitar Magic Garage in Setiabudi, a makeshift settlement in central Jakarta. When whispers of redevelopment threaten Setiabudi’s fragile balance, Munin and his neighbours are forced to confront a dark web of corruption, greed and political manoeuvring. While they grapple with their pasts and futures, alliances are strained in their efforts to defend the kampung against the developers and the army. Will the vision of Suharto’s relentless progress overshadow the dreams of Soekarno’s little people? As Munin repairs cars belonging to Jakarta’s elite with magic, spirit warnings suggest to him that trouble is brewing. Could it be the land clearance or is it something more sinister?
Blitar Magic Garage is a darkly compelling tale of corruption, greed and magic in Suharto’s Indonesia.
Munin, a former political prisoner, runs Blitar Magic Garage in Setiabudi, a makeshift settlement in central Jakarta. When whispers of redevelopment threaten Setiabudi’s fragile balance, Munin and his neighbours are forced to confront a dark web of corruption, greed and political manoeuvring. While they grapple with their pasts and futures, alliances are strained in their efforts to defend the kampung against the developers and the army. Will the vision of Suharto’s relentless progress overshadow the dreams of Soekarno’s little people? As Munin repairs cars belonging to Jakarta’s elite with magic, spirit warnings suggest to him that trouble is brewing. Could it be the land clearance or is it something more sinister?
Blitar Magic Garage is a darkly compelling tale of corruption, greed and magic in Suharto’s Indonesia.
Why We Love It
"What drew me to Blitar Magic Garage was the way John Donnelly makes a turbulent period of Indonesian history feel intensely personal. His Jakarta is a place where corruption, military power and relentless development intrude into the lives of ordinary people, yet where humour, friendship, Javanese mysticism and a little magic persist. The novel is rooted in the Suharto era, but its questions about strongmen, inequality and who really benefits from ‘progress’ feel remarkably current. Most of all, I love its warmth: beneath the politics is a wonderfully human story about a community refusing to disappear without a fight.” Phil Tatham, Publisher, Monsoon Books.
Product Details
- Publisher: Monsoon (November 1, 2026)
- Length: 256 pages
- ISBN13: 9781915310460
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Raves and Reviews
Blitar Magic Garage is a powerful portrait of a modern Jakarta still influenced by ancient mythical beliefs.’
– Robert Hefner, author and former Literary Editor, Canberra Times
Donnelly’s translation of Javanese myth and superstition into magic realism is adept.
– Francesca Beddie, Canberra Times
The kampung may be a vibrant place, but it is the characters who give it life.
– Christopher Bantick, Sunday Canberra Times
Takes readers into the alleys and canals of Setiabudi, a fringe settlement targeted by corrupt developers. Blitar Magic Garage will shine among this year’s novels like a beacon.
– Alison Broinowski, Australian Book Review
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Trade Paperback 9781915310460
