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The tragicomic tale of an Indonesian migrant worker’s voyage through love and betrayal.
Maya, a thirty-something Indonesian caught in the undercurrent of life’s uncertainty, takes a leap of faith from the chaos of Jakarta to a job as a waitress aboard a European cruise ship. There, she meets sassy Kanompang from Bangkok, handsome Oleksii from Ukraine, and Maroje, her Croatian prince and first love. In a world where relationships are as transient as the ports she visits, Maya grapples with love, lies and unfulfilled desires. But when her voyage of discovery takes a darker turn in the backstreets of London, where betrayal and misery are a familiar fate for migrant workers, Maya must navigate unscrupulous women, naked men, challenging relationships and the pull of home.
Set in cruise ship cabins, East London pubs and West End brothels, this tragicomedy is a tale of survival, a search for identity, and the hope of finding a harbour in life’s stormy sea.
About the author
Nuril Basri is an Indonesian writer born in West Java. He has worked in a variety of positions over the years: internet café operator, secretary to a police attaché, mystery shopper, minimarket cashier, and waiter on a cruise ship. His previously published works include Not a Virgin and Love, Lies and Indomee. His novel Le rat d’égout (The Sewer Rat) won Best Gay Novel in Translation in France in 2023.
Paperback 9781915310323
Ebook 9781915310330
Extent 336pp
Category Fiction
