A darkly comic short story that captures the atmosphere of Indonesian student life in the early part of the twenty-first century, when the civil–political promises of Reformasi were being extinguished by widespread corruption, mediocrity, and national inertia. Eka Kurniawan is author of the novels Cantik itu ... Luka (Beauty is ... a Wound, 2002) and Lelaki Harimau (Man-Tiger, 2004), as well as the short-story collections Cinta Tak Ada Mati (No Death for Love) and Gelak Sedih dan Cerita-cerita Lainnya (Sad Laughter and Other Tales).