TEACH Services, $17.95, ISBN 978-1-47960-028-1
Historical Fiction, 2001 (Reissue)
Also published in this part of the world as The Tiger of Lembah Pahit—Lembah Pahit is Bitter Valley in Bahasa Indonesia—Norma R Youngberg’s The Tiger of Bitter Valley is far more available here thanks to Oxford University Press publishing it and getting the book stuffed in school libraries everywhere.
There is a good reason for this: this story is set in Indonesia in the good old days when Western medicine is just making its way over there, and at the centerstage of this story is the battle between more progressive Western-centric science and Sumatran traditional cultures and norms. Since Norma R Youngberg was a white missionary when she wrote this, I’m sure everyone can guess which faction will emerge the victor, heh.
To give Ms Youngberg credit, however, she never portrays traditional Indonesian beliefs and superstitions in a mocking, patronizing manner. Mind you, I’m the right person to make this conclusion, as I’m a local in this part of the world, so all you snooty white people ready to scream colonialism at my face can just stuff it and go back to Bluesky or something.
The story revolves around the adventures of 13-year-old Rimau. His father, Feermin of the Mamoras, is the chief of Rocky Hills Village. Chief Feermin has refrained from giving our hero a name until something great happens to the kid, and that something is an encounter with a tiger that merely licks the boy’s feet before departing. Elated by what he sees as a sign of greatness in his son, Feermin bestows upon the kid the name of Menga Rajah Segala Harimau (Menga the King of All Tigers). Understandably, people would rather just call him Rimau.
Trouble begins when Feermin learns about this newfangled thing called smallpox vaccine, which leaves a “magic mark” that will protect one from the dreaded disease. Not only does he become the first person to receive the vaccine, but he also has Rimau get the shot and mandate the rest of the villagers to do the same.
This angers the local witch doctor Gadoh (his name means “quarrel” in Bahasa Indonesia, so it is not surprising that he is a mean SOB) and he casts a curse on Rimau. Rimau overhears Gadoh cursing him with all kinds of leprosy and tells his father. This leads Feermin to send Rimau to stay with his brother-in-law Jimat at the neighboring Bitter Valley Village.
As it turns out, every day is full of excitement in Bitter Valley. There is a tigress rampaging around the place, terrifying the locals that blame it for everything and anything. Well, it’s a good thing that they have the King of All Tigers with them. Wait, the boy is the king of all tigers… right?
This is obviously a kiddie story, so it doesn’t have much nuance or subtlety going for it. Everything is in black and white. The villains are very evil and transparently so, making me wonder why everyone can be so oblivious to them. Even the villains’ names mark them as such! Meanwhile, there is also a strong “Western medicine is better” message going on here, but honestly, I don’t know if anyone can put up a strong argument that Western medicine hadn’t done a lot of good in this part of the world.
The characters are stereotypes, painfully so, but at the same time, Rimau is a very human protagonist that gets by thanks to a lot of luck as well as some pluck now and then. It’s amusing how his lucky escapes only strengthen his mystique as having some powers over tigers, heh, when he’s far more terrified of those big cats.
The story itself is well-written. Rimau getting his name takes up about one third of this story, and the rest is about his adventures in Bitter Valley, and the whole thing is gripping and frankly exciting. I like how the author has woven in local elements that feel credible and authentic, although I wince at some of her choices for her characters’ names. Come on, some subtlety please instead of doing what is tantamount to naming a villain “Villain”!
This story works for me because I never feel talked down to or patronized. There are no nagging or unsubtle lessons of the day shoved down my throat in a most blatant manner. This is a story that sets out to entertain me first and foremost, and the rest is just bonus. Hence, I had a great time reading this even when I’m way older than the intended audience.
In fact, if there were ever a story about a grown-up Rimau and his further adventures, call me!
