Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

What is it about?

Chinese-Indonesian, US-based Meddelin Chan finds herself in an impossible situation: after she accidentally kills her blind date in self-defense, her mother brings in reinforcements to help get rid of the body: her three sisters, Meddie’s aunties. But how can they cover up a murder and prepare a lavish wedding the next day – the biggest job their family business has ever landed?

OK, but what is it really about?

Meddy has always been a dutiful daughter: instead of moving away across country to go to college like her male cousins, she stayed close by for her studies and joined the family wedding business as a photographer upon graduating. Because of a family curse that has left the women to tend for themselves, without their husbands and sons, Meddy is particularly close to her mother, Ma, and her three aunties: Big Aunt, Second Aunt and Fourth Aunt. Their quarrels, rivalries and blind loyalty have been a constant in Meddy’s life ever since she was a young girl.

Being close, however, sometimes also translates as “too involved” – which again becomes perfectly clear when Ma sets up a blind date for Meddy. Unfortunately, the date turns into a nightmare, and when the guy is about to sexually harass her (or worse), she accidentally kills him.

Together with her Ma and aunties, Meddy comes with a plan to get rid of the body. Of course, nothing goes as planned, and the corpse ends up in a cooler on an island resort where the wedding of the century is about to take place. A wedding that the Chan family business is taking care of, by the way. If that wasn’t problematic enough, the resort manager turns out to be none other than Meddy’s ex-boyfriend Nathan – the one who got away, the one she has been pining for. 

Seriously, what could go wrong?

Is it any good?

I went into this book wanting to love it even though I’m not usually into the rom-com, nor the murder mystery genre. But as soon as I laid eyes on “Dial A for Aunties” and read the synopsis, I became excited – simply because a novel like this helps to put Indonesia on the literary map (yeah, I’m easy like that). Imagine my delight when I was reading the first chapter, laughing out loud several times and giggling for the rest of it. This feeling of giddiness stayed with me throughout the whole book – if you don’t take the premise all too seriously, you’re in for quite a ride! 

I couldn’t read this book without thinking of my own Indonesian family. Images of my own aunties accompanied me throughout the whole story, and I remembered how my aunt tried to set up dates for me and my sister as well, worried that we might become old spinsters. I often found myself wondering if my own relatives would move heaven and earth to help me cover up a murder. Honestly? I think some of them would, without flinching.

And that’s the beauty of the book: at the end of the day, it’s a love letter to families. You don’t always get along, and sometimes you want to scratch their eyes out, but when it matters, you can always count on them. (At least, that’s how it should be, and I’m lucky enough to have a family just like that!)

Favorite character?

All aunties are pretty hilarious, but nobody made me chuckle like Ma. She may be overbearing but she means so well, yet commits one blunder after another – be it pretending to be her daughter on an online dating site, accidentally getting the groomsmen at the wedding party high as kites with marijuana (“no, no, it is traditional medicine, very good for health!”) or, when Meddy walks in on her drinking tea with the woman who has just held her at gunpoint, brushes off her daughter’s complaints: “Why you being so rude, Meddy? I raise you better than this.”

Most memorable quote?

“Aiya, we call it curse at first because yes, of course we are sad that our husbands all leave us. But after few years we realize actually, is not a curse. It is family blessing.”

Conclusion? 

Reading “Dial A for Aunties” felt like going on a rollercoaster, with many surprising twists and turns and breathtaking loops. When I finished the ride, I felt good and filled with adrenaline, immediately wanting to queue again. That’s why I was so thrilled to learn that Netflix has plans for an adaptation and has teamed up with none other than Nahnatchka Khan, director of “Always Be My Maybe” and creator of “Fresh Off the Boat.” How exciting! I’m already looking forward to my reunion with the Chans.

AT A GLANCE

Title: Dial A for Aunties

By: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Published by: Berkley (2021)

Pages: 320

Language: English