Seabird

Inspired by the life of a nineteenth-century feminist, this novel follows Kartini, a young Javanese noble girl in the Dutch East Indies. Before turning thirteen, she is confined at home to prepare for an arranged marriage and is separated from school and the wider world. Kartini writes to Lesty, a former Dutch schoolmate now in the Netherlands. With Lesty’s support, she questions the limited roles assigned to girls and women and confronts prejudice and tradition while seeking a voice in her own future.