Kurniawan's style of "approaching social concerns at an angle rather than head-on, with hefty doses of surrealism and wry humour" also draws comparisons to Haruki Murakami. He has been described as "Indonesia’s finest writer since Pramoedya Ananta Toer" and "Indonesia's most exciting author."
Kurniawan's writing style, which focuses on social issues through surrealism and humor, is compared to that of Haruki Murakami. He has been recognized as "Indonesia’s finest writer since Pramoedya Ananta Toer" and "Indonesia’s most exciting author."