"Beauty is a Wound" is a captivating tale that fuses history, satire, and folklore as it traces the tumultuous journey of Dewi Ayu, a famed prostitute in Indonesia. With humor and heart, Eka Kurniawan weaves a multi-generational narrative that explores the dark corners of human nature and the struggle for survival amid the backdrop of the country's turbulent history. The novel's magic realist elements illuminate the narrative, painting a portrait of a family's curse and the ghosts that haunt them—both literal and metaphorical.