ENGLISH
“Fire, Light, and Air”
Sixteen year-old Hektor, abandoned by his father, beaten by his stepfather and neglected by his mother, didn’t know what love and affection was until he met the boys who became his best friends, and they formed a punk band together. One day they clashed with a group of thugs who used Islam to gain money and influence in their neighborhood. The group vowed to hunt Hektor down and send him straight to hell. It’s a story about how some people consider anything [said to be] religious as good and holy, how some people are accustomed to think uncritically about religious leaders, and how all that has torn lives apart…
First published in the anthology The Near and the Far volume 2 (Scribe, 2019).
A reflection on how we learn and practice religion, featuring God, a demon bird, a pharaoh, and a blue-furred alien.
First published with the title “Islam and I” in Kill Your Darlings, 2017.
“The Love Story of My Father and Me”
A teenage girl wants to grow up strong and independent, but her mother tells her to be silent and obedient and her father takes advantage of women who lead freer lifestyles. This one’s for all the girls who’ve had to find their own way, alone.
First published in BooksActually’s Gold Standard (Math Paper Press, 2016).
“Someplace between Respect and Desire”
When a young Jakartan woman had a crush on a British man in Jakarta, she had to navigate the dating scene, fraught with inequalities, and come to terms with her own insecurities.
First published in Ducts: Summer Fiction, 2016.
A group of friends go to great lengths to hide their hedonistic lifestyle from their parents and girlfriends. An honest look into a hidden Jakarta youth culture.
First published in Trash, an anthology of Southeast Asian urban fiction, part of the trio Heat Flash Trash (Fixi Novo, 2016).
“Five friends find themselves in intimate relationships that defy society’s norms. Can they support each other through the unending challenges?
First published in Exchanges Journal (2015).
A group of so-called troublemaker kids in an Islamic school in Jakarta stood up against an abusive teacher.
First published in the Griffith Review: New Asia Now (2015). Long-listed for Fish young-adult novel prize (2016).
“From Now on Everything will be Different”
Two young Indonesians reunited after the revolution that brought down the country’s long-time dictator. He was looking for the courage to follow his dreams, she was looking for revenge.
First published in the Asia Literary Review, 2014.
Arson or imagination? Murder or suicide? Death or renewal? “Somehow I know this fire would be here when I wake up, the same way I know you would not.”
First published in Koran Tempo, 2006.
BAHASA INDONESIA
“Buku Harian Perempuan yang Mempertanyakan Iman”
Refleksi tentang cara kita memahami dan mempraktikkan agama, bercerita tentang Tuhan, burung hantu, firaun, dan makhluk luar angkasa.
Dibukukan dalam antologi Menjadi Perempuan (Elex Media Komputindo, 2018).
Eliza pergi berkelana dan bercinta dengan laki-laki tampan dari berbagai penjuru dunia. Hingga ia menyelam ke dasar Palung Mariana dan bertemu dengan orang-orang yang tidak disangka-sangkanya.
Pertama terbit di majalah Femina, 2018.
“Sebaik-baik Manusia”
L. baru tiba di New York sebagai mahasiswa berbeasiswa. Ia ingin sekali merentangkan sayap, terbang keluar dari zona nyaman, dan mencicipi citarasa kehidupan yang sesungguhnya. Namun, apa yang terjadi ketika seorang pria yang jauh lebih tua daripadanya mengajaknya berkencan?
Pertama terbit di Jurnal Perempuan no.96: Cinta dan Feminisme, 2018.
“Puncak“
Banyak orang mempersiapkan diri untuk memasuki bulan Ramadan dengan memperbanyak salat, doa, dan membaca Alquran. Lain dengan Ferdian, Risa, Patar, dkk. Mereka mempersiapkan diri dengan melampiaskan nafsu berpesta, mabuk, dan teler sepuas-puasnya agar tahan puasa hura-hura selama sebulan penuh. Keseruan pesta mereka terusik ketika Lani, pacar Patar yang merupakan “cewek baik-baik” dan memiliki ayah seorang polisi, mendesak ingin bergabung.
Pertama muncul dalam bahasa Inggris di antologi Trash, terbitan Fixi Novo, 2016.
“Lima orang muda mendapati diri mereka dalam hubungan yang dinilai tidak sesuai dengan norma masyarakat. Dapatkah mereka saling mendukung melalui berbagai tantangan yang muncul?
Pertama terbit di Exchanges Journal, Desember 2015.
Sekelompok remaja yang dicap pembuat onar di sebuah sekolah Islam di Jakarta memberontak melawan guru yang memukul teman sekelas mereka.
Pertama terbit di Koran Tempo, 7 September 2014.
“Cuplikan novel Mulai Saat Ini Segalanya Akan Berubah.
Itulah konfirmasi pertama yang diterimanya bahwa seseorang ternyata bisa mengarak perubahan, dan ia takkan lupa bagaimana ia mendengar bisikan Tuhan di sela derap langkah ribuan mahasiswa: ‘Kau pun bisa mengubah hidupmu.’
Pertama terbit di Koran Tempo, 23 September 2012.
Tidakkah kau mengerti? Ini satu-satunya jalan keluar bagiku. Kau yang melihat harapan di mana-mana, bahkan saat kehidupan terkapar bagai ikan di batu yang kering, tentu kau akan lihat sendiri: indahnya harapan dalam setumpuk abu ini.
Pertama terbit di Koran Tempo, 15 Oktober 2006.
Eliza Vitri Handayani 