Ordinary people and extraordinary events

The Redundancy of Courage
By Timothy Mo
Vintage, 1991. 408pp., $14.95
Reviewed by Sean Lennon The Redundancy of Courage is a novel about ordinary people forced to do abnormal things by abnormal circumstances. It is about East Timor, in the guise of the island of Danu, north of Australia, invaded by the "Malai" from the surrounding archipelago. Not only is the history of Danu an accurate portrayal of East Timor, but Mo has used the invasion to point out East Timor's betrayal by Australia and the US. While not all the characters in Redundancy have real life counterparts, some do. One is Bill Mabberly, an Australian journalist killed on the day of the invasion. Another is the commander of FAKOUM, the main resistance group, also killed by the Malai on December 7. But the major theme of Redundancy is heroism — willing or otherwise — in the face of extraordinary circumstances. The story, which opens on the day of the invasion, is told by Adolph Ng, a Chinese-Danuese hotel owner. It is here that the slide into abnormality begins. Ng's response is to behave as normally as he can. Things change when, against his will, he becomes a guerilla with FAKOUM's armed wing, FAKINTIL. While he becomes good at his job — laying mines and traps for the Malai soldiers — it is clear that he would rather live a normal life. But in occupied Danu, that is not to be. This abnormality makes heroes of ordinary people — although Ng certainly doesn't see himself as one. It could be said that all the FAKINTIL guerillas are heroes. Only some are professional soldiers; most are like Ng, forced by circumstances to kill or be killed. Mo has painted a picture of the guerillas as ordinary people, and it is this which makes Redundancy so powerful. Copies of Redundancy of Courage are available from the Australia East Timor Association at PO Box 93, Fitzroy 3065.

From GLW issue 217