[JAKARTA] After introducing the first taste of the Amygdala trilogy universe back in 2020, author Mega Arnidya known as Mpokgaga officially launched its sequel called: "Amygdala: The Lingering Residue". In its second installment, the story of lead character Ishtar Mahendra Sumoprawiro continues, as she ponders about the unfinished and lingering residue from her past encounters and experiences.
"Most of us (including me, of course), still struggle with guilt, fear, and insecurities while starting a new relationship, whether internally or externally. In my second book of the trilogy, Amygdala Universe and its characters try to chronicle what they have been through and what they would do to escape the puddles of residue that hinder them from moving on with their lives and face the unfinished businesses that need closure," said Mpokgaga.
Experiences that every human is going through must have left traces or crumbs in every nook and cranny of our brains and hearts. Mpokgaga takes the readers to enter the universe of Ishtar far deeper through her journey across various cities and countries. New or recurring characters whose paths have crossed with Ishtar, will meet again and trigger a myriad of emotions, memories, and reactions. Similar to its predecessor book, Mpokgaga did her research by digging into her personal experiences, as well as her close friends' stories to develop premises for this fictional literature. She admitted to sacrificing her own peace by reliving bitter memories about her past as a domestic violence survivor in a 'nausea-inducing' way before writing paragraph after paragraph in this book. After all the deeds were done, Mpokgaga realized she also had to clean up all the residue that lingered within her for her own good in the future.
Having shared tales that highlight mental health issues, the launching of this second book could not be separated from the success of the first book titled "Amygdala: A Journey in Repressing Memory". Through the story of Ishtar, the readers are immersed in the ups and downs of this character's life.
"Not only on a mental level, even some of the readers got physical reactions upon reading my first book like dizziness, nausea, vomiting, up to insomnia. I already told them to read this book while they're mentally stable, but some readers paid no mind to my warning and went ahead to read this book. Most of the feedback I got was that this book was INSANE." uttered Mpokgaga.
While she did not set a specific response from her readers, the lady who is also an expert in digital marketing said that her goal to release this trilogy remains the same, which is storytelling. "Every story has its own portion of residue with a similar dose. My highest expectation of introducing the Amygdala Universe is how I could keep telling the truth, and everyone could experience that," added the author.
The second book of the Amygdala trilogy called "Amygdala: The Lingering Residue" by Ega Mpokgaga was finally released in its physical version that readers can purchase through Shopee or Tokopedia on February 21st, 2024.
About The Author
Mega Arnidya, also known as Ega Mpokgaga or simply Mpokgaga, is a domestic violence survivor and has been working both full-time and part-time in the Advertising & Digital Marketing industry for over 14 years. Since 2021, she has had the opportunity to reside in Ubud, where she continues to learn the importance of not rushing through life's endeavors.
