About this book
Goena - goena by Paul Adriaan Daum plunges listeners into a humid, shadowy world where colonial ambition, local belief, and deadly intrigue collide. Set in the late nineteenth-century Dutch East Indies, this historical fiction novel reads like a literary thriller and travelogue combined: streets, plantations, and port towns come alive as cultural tensions and secrets smolder beneath polite society.
Daum weaves a taut narrative of murder, violence, and a compelling young woman who knows what she wants, all framed by the mystique hinted at in the title—suggestions of local rites and whispered power that unsettle the colonial order. The book explores themes of power, identity, and the moral complexities of empire while delivering suspense and richly observed atmosphere rather than straightforward whodunit mechanics. Travel-minded listeners will appreciate the immersive sense of place and the author’s eye for detail, from tropical landscapes to the layered social codes of the period.
Ideal for fans of historical fiction, travel literature, and literary thrillers, Goena - goena is a rewarding listen for anyone drawn to atmospheric mysteries set against the fraught backdrop of colonial history.
