In Search of An Oasis - A. Ubaidillah - 9789670076386 - Gerakbudaya

In the aftermath of a family tragedy, two cousins, Iskandar and Indra, embark on separate journeys in Jordan. Iskandar yearns to atone for his sins by returning to Islam, whereas Indra wants to fulfil his father and grandfather’s wishes by continuing his religious education. In Jordan, they encounter the two faces of religion and humanity – the good and the evil. Iskandar relocates to a refugee camp, where he serves an enigmatic religious leader who shows him the way to resolve his sinful past. Living in Irbid as a university student, Indra crosses paths with a Jordanian family and falls in love with their daughter, Hiba. Though it seems they have found their oasis, it does not take long for them to realise that what they have might just be a mirage.

“A.Ubaidillah is a suave narrator. The story composed in the novel reflects very much his conviction of the creative imagination that comes with societal concern and empathy. The world of contested ideas is weaved into the characters’ conflict, dilemma and hope. The oasis is not about the auspices path or space to be made, but a journey to unravel one’s own potential and even biases. The search itself is biophilic, that a better world, spiritual, material and ideological is always possible amidst the insanity of dehumanized acts.”

Azhar Ibrahim

Department of Malay Studies, National University of Singapore