Australia Australia - Marion Barter - Missing After Trip to UK - June 1997 #22

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

It's all pretty repulsive

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

I won't put any more up here, that's just an example of what I'm dealing with here LOL, it's all pretty gross.

 

[Liselle]

coverkitchen.com did the cover design for the book... would be interesting if they would disclose who paid for the artwork & if monsoonbooks.co.uk would know more about the author they are publishing.

When (if) copies of the book are sold, the publisher would have to transfer payment of any royalties into the bank account of the author so there should be a money/paper trail still ongoing. Renov Pubs??? I wonder how many books were sold anyway?

 

[Liselle]

I won't put any more up here, that's just an example of what I'm dealing with here LOL, it's all pretty gross.

I don’t think I could put myself through the agony of reading this book! The excerpts alone are patently gross!! Have you come across any "singing testicles"? Now that would be a dead giveaway!

 

[KathPlumber]

View attachment 489888

“Feverish groping and kneading…”

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

I don’t think I could put myself through the agony of reading this book! The excerpts alone are patently gross!! Have you come across any "singing testicles"? Now that would be a dead giveaway!

Honestly haven't even read it, just skimmed a few bits and felt slightly nauseous and decided to do a deep dive when I'm feeling more chipper.

There's no way a woman wrote this, it's all very sexist and hateful towards women who are objectified and sexualised throughout. I shall look for clues.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

End of Chapter One - 'Ken', international man of mystery / 'malignant tumour' has disappeared with Tanya's money, stolen by fraud. Hm.

From 'Are you Ibu Tanya?' onwards:

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

^ Sorry the third image is in the wrong place and is meant to follow on from 'he once told her that he disliked drama and that all his relationships dissolved into...'

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Or... Maybe Tanya's husband, Agung, has been forced to pay Ken $100,000 to make him leave Bali, as Ken has been seducing his wife and destroying their relationship.

Regardless, Ken the international mystery man has suddenly disappeared along with $100,000 withdrawn from Agung the husband's account the previous day. As he's never told anyone who he really is, Tanya doesn't know where or how to track him down.

End of Chapter One. Chapter Two is the next 'romantic' story

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Summary of Chapter Two

Member of the Club / Bon Vivant For Hire

Scott, a sexist pig hedonistic western expat, has wound up skint in Bali and realises he's become nothing but a "Bali-based hustler bon vivant for hire". He needs proper money so sets up a furniture making business with locals, who he makes relatively rich.

He falls in love with an Indonesian woman who turns out is a gold-digger. She leaves him for a richer older man so he becomes a bitter angry drunk.

His concerned colleague takes him to see a holy man who advises him to go to an ashram to find peace. He goes in desperation and converts to a spiritual life. He takes against his former life - all the bars, drunkards, and noisy nightclubs, wants them closed.

Time goes by and he bumps into the ex gold-digger. Turns out her new rich man is a nightclub tycoon wanting to develop a plot. So Scott maliciously burns it down, which he views as a spiritual act and now feels at peace.

The End.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Summary of Island Secrets, Chapter Three

The Studio

An exhausted hedonistic painter, abandoned his former life and wife Kelly and their children.

Is now married to a much younger wife Dewi, aware that his old western friends are secretly jealous of his lifestyle. But he is feeling tired and old. His paintings are selling well in Jakarta but the relationship with Dewi is flagging and his libido is low.

He worries Dewi is interested in other men. He considers having an affair with a flirty young French girl who visits his studio but doesn't have the energy. So he resigns to his fate as being stuck with Dewi as he's too tired for anything else.

The End.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Summary of Island Secrets, Chapter Four

'Exile'

Fed up, anxious, overweight housewife, has an angry hateful husband. They are wealthy but he despises her. They have had a Philippino housekeeper, Angela, for 10 years who has had a good effect of their marriage, bringing a gentle energy to the house which at least kept them civil and cordial. They have two children, Ming (female) and Sam (male).

Husband tries to mold Sam into being like him but the boy is afraid of him. They all walk on eggshells.

Angela the housekeeper has to leave and is replaced by a young Indonesian girl Ayu. Ayu doesn't speak English, is unhappy, isn't good worker but is great with the kids. Over time, Ayu gains an admirer, a local Indonesian young man who is smitten. Ayu blossoms under his attention but Wife knows she must keep this secret from Husband, who has forbidden Ayu to have a boyfriend. Wife also feels inadequate in comparison to this young romance.

Husband starts acting suspicious. Wife hires a detective, suspecting he's having an affair. Detective confirms Husband is seeing a sexy young woman who works in a business lounge club, shows her photos. Wife decides it's best to up her game so as to try keep Husband but it doesn't work. She secretly consults with lawyers and accountants instead.

Time goes by and Husband is deep in an affair, barely coming home. Housekeeper Ayu is also deeply in her romance, often staying out nights. Wife is in despair. One day Husband returns home and Wife goes into a frenzy cooking him an amazing meal but it makes him sick, he is sick for days, having to stay home and rely on her care during which time he is nicer to her. He recovers and quickly becomes hateful again.

Wife hides his mobile phone to prevent him making contact with his lover. Wife takes his car and goes out driving for hours to prevent him leaving home. She returns later that night only to find Husband in Ayu's bedroom having a massage. Wife loses the plot and hits Husband repeatedly with a steam iron and then attacks Ayu too but Ayu protests there was nothing untoward. Wife isn't sure if Husband is dead or alive but decides to do a runner. She gathers her valuables and abandons her old life.

After one year has passed, Wife has landed up in Bali. She's on the run but wondering about her family and if Husband is alive and what he's doing. She's glad she attacked Husband but misses her children and wishes she could apologise to Ayu. She's living a frugal modest life in Kuta as it's her only option.

The End.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Summary of Island Secrets, Chapter Five

'Five Days'

David, 40, is seriously unwell. He asked his girlfriend of 5 years, Jill, to marry him and then take a sabbatical. They'd been renting a bungalow in Bali for two months trying not to speak about his illness but David got worse.

A Balinese doctor is called and gives him bad news. In hospital, David is in and out of consciousness and also contemplating his death. He doesn't want Jill to see him die so he begs her to leave him for five days and go out and have fun until after he's passed away, asking her to find another man. Jill had felt determined to see him through to the end but reluctantly agrees. Alone in the Bungalow she is distraught and there's no way she could be with another man.

A young wealthy surfer dude called Matteo is holidaying in Bali. He's noticed Jill coming in the local bar alone for a few nights. This particular night he notices her phone ring but she doesn't pick it up. After, she approaches him and asks her to take a beach walk with him. She tells him the five days are up (he doesn't know what this means).

The End.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Summary of Island Secrets Chapter Six

'Holiest W_ Hore in Paradise'

Erni falls into prostitution. She used to wash hair in a salon and then got a job as a 'cafe girl'. In the cafe, she met Komang, a worldly young man who spoke good English and hung out with westerners. Komang wins over Erni and romances her. They have sex which is a breach of her muslim faith.

Over time, Erni becomes pregnant but Komang doesn't want a child right now, insisting she has a termination so they can start a family one day in the future, which she does. Complications mean that she is left injured and unable to have a baby in the future. Erni then feels worthless and realises their future is over.

Erni leaves Komang and moves to Jakarta where she works in a lounge bar and learns that flirting with men can earn her big money but she refuses to become a prostitute. A wealthy man from the lounge, Djoko, hopes to seduce her but becomes frustrated and then violently attacks her and forces himself on her. Following which Erni is unwilling to return to work but Djoko sends her a package of money.

Erni uses the money to leave, she lands up in Bali where she no longer values her body and ends up with a European tourist Kurt who pays her for sex and company. After this she becomes a prostitute. She uses her money for self improvement. She is charitable and generous and takes younger girls under her wing. Over time, Erni seemingly turned into a madam, managing the girls. Their clients are ex-pats.

By age 35, Erni is a well liked and respected working woman. She's wealthy and invests in property and plots of land. All the same, she feels religious shame, especially after her father has died and she's visited her family. She knows her lifestyle is against her faith and takes up praying. She stops having sex for money and takes up her religion but the young working girls still depend on her. She is conflicted. A man called Raymond proposes to her. She prays on it and determines to become more devout but also doesn't make her mind up.

The End

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

This book is absolute garbage but I've started so I'll finish.

Summary of Island Secrets, Chapter Seven

'The Lady of the Villa'

It's raining heavily. Caroline looks out over her garden and wonders where her maid Putu is. Putu came with the house rental but Caroline doesn't like her and is planning to make an excuse to dismiss Putu after a few months. Caroline relies on her friend Tess who speaks Balinese to help her be diplomatic with such situations. She'd been housing hunting a long time before finding the villa and it needs a lot of work but it's perfect for her. She's doing it up and moving in her valuables and antique furniture that's been shipped. She's wealthy as her rich husband has died and she has a jewellery business.

Putu makes it home and cooks dinner, puts music on for her and served wine. Carole relaxes and reflects on all her finery and wonders whether in fact her friend Tess is too bohemian and casual. She luxuriates in her surroundings and listens to classical music and continues to drink contemplating how much she prefers it to going out into the low class places and not being able to understand the language. She's feeling her age and wondering how the other women cope with hanging out with young escort boys. She finds a lot of aspects of life distasteful.

She thinks about her favourite niece Geraldine who has a broken heart after her boyfriend ran off with another woman. Geraldine is coming for a visit to Bali and she's planned a packed itinerary of a grand time for them together.

The End.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Summary of Island of Secrets, Chapter Eight

'Early Bird Special'

Bali locals v newcomers.

Kevin Artemis Reynolds contemplates how the newcomers are bothersome and he in fact belongs on the island.

He's been there 30 years after travelling the world. He felt an affinity to Bali. He had been drug and alcohol dependent and drifted through life, losing his trust fund, going through various relationships and jobs.

He got sober and found a place in Ubud where he took up being a hotelier and expanded his business into a bistro and a curio shop.

Kevin found god and stopped messing around with women so the locals wondered if something's up with him and maybe he's gay. However, he's just happy to be spiritually blissful. He's quiet and socially awkward with women but being an enigma makes the women like him even more. Women from his meditation group even start coming looking for him when he withdraws from socialising.

So, Kevin invites women to come and meditate with him and accidentally becomes a guru with groups of up to 50 people who all pay a contribution. What with his hotel, bistro, and curio shop, plus another business exporting wooden toys, Kevin has a lot of income. He has staff and also donates to a local school to teach children English. Unfortunately, all his activities bring him in a lot of contact with fawning 'newcomers' whom he finds distasteful.

This problem is solved when a new guru comes to town - a man formerly known as Mick Callaghan who has had many previous identities and is now known as Sri Moksa. He takes a lot of the attention away from Kevin. However, Sri Moksa tells his followers that Kevin is a fraud and they stop coming to him for meditation. Kevin is angry, he sneaks into Sri Moksa's ashram to see what gives. Sri Moksa is preaching love but denouncing certain types of greedy people. This enrages Kevin who decides Sri Moksa is mad. Sri Moksa collects a large amount of money to build a huge new ashram complex but one day suddenly disappears, leaving all the money behind.

Everything calmed down after that and Kevin swore off being a spiritual guru.

The End.

 

[hahahils]

@Observe_dont_Absorb
This is an absolutely brilliant break down of the “book” - thank you so much for trawling through that mud so we don’t have too!!!
Quite a lot of parallels there;
Furniture Businesses
Antiques
Suspicious “food poisoning”
Children’s names - and seems to often be a boy and a girl
A man of mystery disappearing with other money
What others have I missed?

I totally agree… a very ugly man wrote this IMO

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Summary of Island Secrets, Chapter Nine

'Mango Season'

A woman, Sue, is disapprovingly watching a couple with their baby. The mother is a middle aged white woman, wrinkled, and the father a young Indonesian male at least half her age.

Sue is feeling lonesome, thinking it's a mistake to have gone to Bali after her divorce. She's distracting herself and trying to fill her days. She's noticed a young local man starting at her and is in disbelief when he comes to join her for some company, doubting his intentions. He's friendly and she ends up glad of his company.

After he's gone she passes time, has a massage, goes back to her place, reflects on her marriage dissolving. Has a nice bath, treats herself to some sensual 'self-love', then cries.

Next morning she gets up to find someone, a man, has left her a gift of a basket of mangoes. She goes down to the beach and sees the same young guy again. It's him who left the mangoes. They have breakfast together and he, Wayan, tells her a bit about himself, she tells him her name. Then he has to leave and she passes her day and returns to her villa. Wayan comes round in the evening and flirts with her, they kiss but he doesn't want to take it further for now and leaves.

Next day she goes out and feels lustful thinking of him and passes her time in the market but she spies him arguing with a young Balinese girl. That bursts her bubble.

Wayan comes round in the evening and they end up having sex. After as they lay in bed snoozing she wonders who the girl was and reflects on whether she's just a lonely woman and if he's used to doing this. He wakes up and they engage in sex again.

The End.

 

[espirtu pampa]

Congratulations for your whole work !

 

[Laughing]

@Observe_dont_Absorb , in honor of undertaking & completing that Herculean task!

amazon.com

jmho ymmv lrr