ADDING to its list of published works, Gerakbudaya has launched Abandoned Gods by Tan Jit Seng, a novel inspired by the Dayak culture that revolves around the story of Nira, a mother trekking the dark interiors of Sarawak with her sick child, Aji Riwut, on her back to the Kuching General Hospital.
Along the way, she meets demons, spirits, ghosts and ghouls of Dayak lore and receives boons from the forgotten gods of her Kaharingan faith.
Set in the days of the headhunting era, she gets caught in an epic tripartite war between the bunsu antu animal spirits, antu utai tumboh plant spirits and the antu gerasi huntsman ghosts.
Things escalate out of control when the antu menoa river spirits and the antu pantang tattoo ghosts get involved which makes her journey all the more dangerous and ardous. It is a story of blood and tears that breaks heaven and hell with twists spanning across time and space.
“I got the inspiration from an article I read in some newspapers a long, long time ago,” revealed author Tan Jit Seng.
“I remember it was a plea for a hospital in some remote village in Sarawak and was saddened by how a mother had to carry her child on her back and trek the dangerous jungles of Sarawak to go to the general hospital in a faraway township for the sake of her child.”
Tan remembered crying at the mother’s sacrifices and imagined how terrified it must have been for the mother and child. The Journey to the West stories came to his mind, and his imagination spiralled out of control thinking of the ghosts and beasts that might stand in their way.
It formed the premise of his story and the title came about when he stumbled upon abandoned altars and statues at the foot of a huge tree later that day. “I remember being overwhelmed by a profound sense of sadness,” Tan recalled wistfully. “Of how a god was callously used, abandoned and forgotten after being worshipped.”
It was this sense of abandonment and feelings of loss and sadness that coloured his book, aptly entitled Abandoned Gods.
“I felt compelled to be the storyteller,” asserted Tan. “It almost felt like it was a Heaven-sent idea for me to tell the story and I pray I did justice to it. If I didn’t, I humbly apologise now.”
It was a slight departure from Gerakbudaya’s usual fare but it was a risk worth taking, according to head of publications Jason S. Ganesan.
“After all, one must blaze new trails to make historic breakthroughs,” he admitted. “The fact that the Dayak community is under-represented in Malaysian literature is another deciding factor to go with the book.”
It has also been noted that this book didn’t just borrow the Dayak characters from myths of yore but actively created new story arcs for them. The new characters mingled with the old ones, driving the plots to its epic conclusion.
The book also has the distinction of being Tan’s first full-length horror fantasy novel with his previous works being short horror stories and children’s books.
“It was such a joy to have played a part in the production of this book,” noted Jason. “I hope the readers will find it as thrilling to read as it was for me to edit it.”
Abandoned Gods is available at all major bookstores nationwide. Purchases can also be made at: www.gerakbudaya.com and Shopee online stores. – Aug 10, 2022
