Budi Darma's People from Bloomington is a collection of seven short stories set in Bloomington, Indiana, during the 1970s. Far from an idyllic small town, this fragmented landscape of rented rooms and isolated streets becomes a stage for peculiar narrators and characters who grapple with profound loneliness. They exhibit an obsessive curiosity about others yet struggle to form genuine connections, often deliberately estranging those around them. Darma combines a realist setting with an absurdist lens, exploring the morbid and humorous aspects of human isolation.

Why You Should Read?

• Explore universal themes of loneliness and the human struggle for connection.
• Experience a unique blend of realism and absurdism, both funny and dark.
• Discover Budi Darma, an influential Indonesian author now available in English.
• Reflect on the inherent "strangeness" within all individuals, transcending cultural boundaries.