Monday, September 15, 2008

Malay magic

SusukSusuk: the Evil Within by Amir Hafizi -- Marshall Cavendish -- RM 29.90.

Beauty has a price. Soraya is a young trainee nurse who is starting to feel disaffected by her life. A chance introduction to the world of glamour piques her ambition to be a star. She does nor succeed at first, but then she is told of the forbidden practice of susuk. Should she stay the way she is, or cross the line? Meanwhile, Suzana is a dive with an air of mystery. She has long used the extreme susuk keramat. Every time she violates a taboo, a human life is required. We follow the eventful lives of these two women until we get to the secret of this dreaded charm.

Susuk is the forbidden practice of inserting and embedding foreign objects under a person's skin to increase their allure. The wearer will have to respect a few taboos, failing which the consequences will be dire. More dangerous is a variant called susuk keramat.

Susuk is also available in Malay, written by Nizam Zakaria (RM 24.90)

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