WHY  I  WROTE  ONLY  A  GIRL

There is quite a bit written about the Dutch as the colonialists and the Indonesians as the colonized, but hardly any mention is made of the Chinese population living in Indonesia during the time span of Only A Girl. In spite of the important role this in-between layer of Indonesia’s population plays at a socio-economical level, this group of people is scantly acknowledged in some documentary but none of its “story” is being told. 

Reflecting on my emigration and coming from this society, I felt the need to tell its story. I was especially compelled to give the women of that time a voice. Thus, through memory and observation, the characters of Only A Girl stepped forward to claim their place on the story stage.

It is only in retrospect I realized, that while Nanna, Ocho, Carolien and Jenny lived in a space and during the time of the novel, their story is relevant to women today. War still rages through countries, uprooting families; mother love can still be fiercely protective; young ones still defy their elders under the banner of progress. I hope Only A Girl will reach the three generations of its characters and evoke awareness, understanding and compassion amongst each other.