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A genre-defying feminist gothic novel blending Indonesian folklore, Islamic mysticism, horror, and political reckoning
International literary sensation Intan Paramaditha returns with her most ambitious and haunting work to date. The novel opens with a devastating act: the youngest of three sisters becomes a suicide bomber. In the aftermath, her surviving siblings are forced to confront the violent, buried truths of their family history. Their search leads them to long-concealed secrets, and to the prophecies of their grandmother, whose shadowy wisdom has shaped their fates.
Set across Indonesia, the United States, and Australia, the novel explores class divides, sisterhood, migration, shame, abandonment, and the politics of care—all through a ghostly, atmospheric lens that draws on Asian folktales and occult traditions.
With its blend of political urgency, mythic resonance, and psychological depth, Night of a Thousand Hells is a singular contribution to global feminist literature.
“Through the story of these three sisters, readers are invited to reexamine the meaning of family, sibling relationships, power dynamics, and the dominant class in social structures, particularly in how they contribute to a culture of violence. Unlike Intan’s previous works, Sihir Perempuan (The Wandering) and Gentayangan (The Wandering), the horror in Malam Seribu Jahanam is presented more subtly and manages to evoke a deep sense of unease.”—IDN Times (Indonesia)
“Intan Paramaditha emphasizes the crucial role of literature in politics as a vehicle for reflecting on the meaning of justice.”—Tempo (Indonesia)
“For Intan Paramaditha, horror is not merely a tool to scare. It is a medium for critique. In Intan’s hands, horror becomes a way to disrupt what has long been accepted as normal.”—Magdalene (Indonesia)
Praise for Intan Paramaditha
“Like Indonesian cosmopolitanism itself, Paramaditha also has a striking talent for weaving meaning out of heterogeneous cultural strands and, as you wander, you’ll take in the rich symbolism of tales from the Ramayana to Britpop, and hear Hecate quote the Koran.” —Sydney Review of Books on The Wandering
“With its choose-your-own adventure structure, The Wandering is fiction at its most lifelike, presenting the reader with choices and inevitable misgivings.”—The Guardian on The Wandering
“It draws on magic realism, fairy tales, and folklore to tell a dark, often disturbing story of migration, displacement, and how crossing borders is very often a privilege.”—Tatler Asia on The Wandering
“If Edgar Allan Poe’s macabre had a child with Shirley Jackson’s horror, this Indonesian anthology of short stories would be it.”—Buzzfeed on Apple and Knife
“Inspired by myths and folklore, this fantastical collection of short stories by Indonesian author Intan Paramaditha explores the politicisation of the female body, offering up subversive feminist horror stories with poignant commentary in an intoxicatingly fresh manner.”—Vogue Australia on Apple and Knife
“Intan Paramaditha’s English-language debut collection, Apple and Knife, consists of short stories...[that] bend and blend genres, and bristle with feminist rage and resistance.”—Sydney Morning Herald on Apple and Knife
“Its intensely personal short stories will leave you with bite marks and bruises.”—Seattle Times on Apple and Knife