These four short stories by Ben Sohib are gem-like portraits Jakarta's Betawi people - placid vignettes of real life, and with little frissons at the end.
The Betawi are a generally pious and conservative Muslims people and the centrality of Islam in their lives is reflected in several of these stories. They are also well known as canny capitalists, albeit mostly on a small scale, and this too is reflected here.
Finally, readers may find the following glossary useful for a deeper understanding of the various geographical, etc., references in these delightful stories.