YMMV / Oeroeg

• Anvilicious: Colonization is bad. Raising white people in countries that are not "their own" could have very negative effects on them.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: Has become very popular in Indonesia, or at least very widely read.
• Ho Yay: Between the two main characters, obviously.
• Hype Backlash: It is a common opinion among Dutch students that the novel isn't nearly as good as some teachers try to make it out to be.