His novel
Beauty Is a Wound was included in the list of 100 notable books by
The New York Times. The use of
magic realism in the book has led to comparisons to
Gabriel García Márquez. Kurniawan has insisted that
Beauty Is a Wound is neither a historical novel nor a book about Indonesian history. 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." In 2016, Palari Films announced a
film adaptation of Kurniawan's book
Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash to be directed by
Edwin, who would also co-write the screenplay with Kurniawan. The film was expected to get a 2021 release. == Personal life ==