She Smells of Turmeric

Having spent a lot of time in Jakarta, I enjoyed this novel, even though I'm clearly not its intended audience. (I think young adults would get a lot out of the book and would find it a very entertaining read.) It centers on CeCe, born and raised in LA, but staying with her grandparents in Jakarta after the death of her father and her own graduation from college. She is surprised to learn that they are fabulously wealthy, something that she tries to hide from new friends and colleagues at the start-up company where she finds work. In the course of the book she learns a lot about Indonesia, about her family, and her own strength and resilience.