Softbound

Feathers

2012-12-17T08:41:00.005-08:00

It is the 1970's and though racial discrimination has been ruled as unacceptable, there is still a lingering sense of segregation in an American urban community. The blacks live on one side while the whites live on the other. Children go to their races' assigned schools, and for African American children, the school is Price, the setting of the novel.

One day, a white kid comes as a new student in class. He is immediately dubbed as Jesus Boy. Being the first and only white kid in Price, Jesus Boy's coming made a stir in class.

Some of the kids were curious about the new kid: Samantha, a religious kid, believes that Jesus Boy is Jesus; Maribel, in her arrogance and disgust, shared that Jesus Boy paid with pennies instead of dollars when he bought food from their family's store; and Frannie claimed that she saw Jesus Boy's father whom she described as black-colored like them.

But not everyone in school were satisfied at simply being curious. One of the kids in class, Trevor, teases Jesus Boy in every chance he gets, telling Jesus Boy to return to his old school where other white kids go.

The story is told from the point of view of Frannie, a preteen who's only beginning to understand the things that are happening around her. She tries to explain many things: why Samantha's religious; why everybody laughed when Trevor was humiliated; and why, in Emily Dickinson's poem, hope is described as a "thing with feathers".

Frannie is particularly sensitive about disabilities because of her brother Sean who is deaf. She becomes angry when girls, who are initially attracted to Sean, would suddenly lose interest when they learn of his disability. She stares at other kids who make jokes about deafness and sign language. For Frannie, sign language is as natural as having a second language; so it makes her wonder what makes deafness seem too different for the others.

Frannie also feels torn on how her classmates treat Jesus Boy. She notices that Trevor and his friends always pick on Jesus Boy, and that Jesus Boy eats alone at lunch. She once experienced being a new student herself and she didn't like the loneliness she felt; but when she thinks about Jesus Boy, a white boy attending in their school, she agrees with the rest that it does feel strange.

Throughout the novel, Frannie is torn with her questions and not all of her questions will be answered in the end. Some are left hanging, letting readers to ponder for their own explanation.

This novel presents discrimination on varied aspects: race, disability, economic status, and religion. Though the theme of discrimination is highly sensitive, Jacqueline Woodson managed to present it in a story and in a tone that is not pitying, nor condescending, nor righteous. Through Frannie's point of view, the novel takes a tone that blends innocence with a developing wisdom; it's tone is curious, but respectful and understanding.

In this novel, Jacqueline Woodson shares a deeper look at the seeming victims of discrimination, giving them depth and a lighter dimension that are frequently overlooked and misunderstood by those who discriminate or pity. Because of it, the novel makes a fitting read for anyone who are seeking a refreshingly lighter view on discrimination.

"It's different, Sean said. Imagine if there was a bridge from every single window in the world to some whole new place. That would be crazy, wouldn't it? It would mean we could all just step out of our worlds into these whole new ones."

Sputnik Sweetheart

2012-12-09T00:10:00.001-08:00

The young and naive Sumire is in love for the first time in her life, so it did not matter if the object of her affection is Miu, an older married woman. Though Sumire tried to justify her attraction as a mere admiration, there remained an inexplicable feeling that brings Sumire an excitement and drive to have Miu's affection.

At a glance, the two makes an unlikely pair: Sumire is twenty-two, a college drop out and a struggling novelist; while Miu is thirty-nine and running a successful business on imported wines. Miu is methodical and sophisticated. Sumire is sloppy and dissolute. Miu is clearly out of Sumire's league, so to speak.

There is, however, a common interest between the two, and though it is only one, it proved to be strong. On the first time Sumire and Miu met, they talked about classical music, and before their first meeting ended, Miu offered Sumire to be her personal secretary.

Sumire took the opportunity despite her doubt on her abilities. Sumire changed to gain Miu's affection; from wearing oversized clothes, she became presentable; from a chain-smoker, she became a non-smoker; and from an obsessed writer, she stopped writing. The transformation bothere Sumire that she called her situation a 'defection', then finally confessing her feeling of loneliness and confusion:

"'Sometimes I feel so - I don't know - lonely. The kind of helpless feeling when everything you're used to has been ripped away. Like there's no more gravity, and I'm left to drift in the outer space with no idea where I'm going.'

'Like a little lost Sputnik?'

'I guess so.' "

Sumire confided all her thoughts to K, her only friend and also the story teller in the novel. They both love fiction, and talk in metaphors. K reads Sumire's writings and hangs out with her even in the wee hours of the morning. Obviously, K loves Sumire in the same way that Sumire loves Miu.

The story revolves on the complicated love triangle that is webbed by unrequited love: K loving Sumire, but Sumire loving Miu. Instead of pleasuring readers with warmth and love, this novel presents an overwhelming feeling of rejection and loneliness.

The characters' sentiments and acts makes this novel absorbing and affecting. With characters emotionally wallowed and pained, one would expect them to act and fulfill their longing. But exactly like how ordinary individuals would do, though puzzled and grieving, they stay practical, detached, and go on with their lives like nothing happened, giving this novel that painfully realistic touch.

" 'And it came to me then. That we were wonderful traveling companions, but in the end no more than lonely lumps of metal on their own separate orbits. From far off they look like beautiful shooting stars, but in reality they're nothing more than prisons, where each of us is locked up alone, going nowhere. When the orbits of these two satellites of ours happened to cross paths, we could be together. Maybe even open our hearts to each other. But that was only for the briefest moment. In the next instant we'd be in absolute solitude. Until we burned up and became nothing.' "

Sputnik Sweetheart has the usual Murakami effect, with ordinary people living their ordinary lives suddenly trapped into what seems like an alternate, parallel world. In the story's beginning, Sumire is caught in love with Miu, a contrast to her sloppy and hermit life. On another turning point, K finds himself in an idyllic Greek island, bathing in the sun, a scene that is far from his dull life as a school teacher.

To enjoy this novel, readers should keep an open mind about the possible existence of a parallel universe. In other novels, all the metaphors would have remained as metaphors, but Murakami blends a realistic world with an alternate universe, turning some of the supposed symbolic and metaphoric things as literal, real occurrences. Through this different view, the mundane reality is put in contrast with the infinite possibilities that the alternate world offers. According to the novel, it's a place where our lost, isolated characters find love and clarity, where the characters' metaphors are alive, where K and Sumire's longing are fulfilled, and where too Miu lost a part of herself.

With no definite ending, and a writing style that is simple yet mysterious and profound, this novel can be read and felt repeatedly. Each reading will give a lingering feeling of sadness, drawing readers into deeper thinking on loneliness and longing. This novel is for those who seek to understand the limits of relationships, companionship, and of life in general.

Memoirs of a Geisha

2012-09-27T04:12:00.000-07:00

How will anyone believe that a top Geisha of Gion was actually a peasant girl who lived in a hut in a fishing village of Yoroido?

One man reacted:

"You, growing up in a dump like Yoroido. That's like making tea in a bucket!... Sometimes you almost make me believe your little jokes are real."

But the joke is real. Chiyo was not anywhere near being a geisha at the start of her life (and at the start of the novel). Unlike the fantansies of men, Chiyo is not a daughter of a geisha, and certainly not raised to become a geisha.

This is how the novel began--readers are made curious how the protagonist, Chiyo, a nine-year-old girl, become a well-recognized geisha in Gion, under the name Sayuri.

Reading the novel is like having an afternoon tea with an old woman who reminisces on her life. The narration is intimate, though the tone can be formal. The choice of words are consistent that from a refined lady, and she frequently slips, giving clues about the end of a situation or a character. For other novels, revelations in the middle of a story can weaken the climax causing the story to lose surprise and tension. But in Memoirs of a Geisha, this style makes the story even more intriguing, hooking readers into wondering-- how will this girl who wears peasant clothing become the kind of woman who can distinguish between a fine kimono and an ordinary one?

The first turn in Chiyo's destiny happened when her mother fell ill, and because of poverty, her father was forced to sell her and sister Satsu to a wealthy man. The sisters thought they were being adopted, but only later when Chiyo was dropped off in a geisha household (an okiya) did the sisters realized they were being separated. On her first few days in the okiya, Chiyo was filled with loneliness and fear that she could not believe what she felt one day:

"I was without my father, without my mother--without even the clothing I'd always worn. Yet somehow the thing that startled me most... was that I had in fact survived. I remember one moment drying rice bowls in the kitchen, when all at once I felt so disoriented I had to stop what I was doing to stare for a long while at my hands... this person drying bowls was actually me."

To worsen Chiyo's loneliness, she is abused and manipulated by the geisha in the okiya (and the antagonist in the novel), Hatsumomo. Under cruelty and loneliness, Chiyo has all the reasons to give up; her dream to become a geisha seems to be elusive.

The novel's beginning is slow, but the compounding problems in Chiyo's life, and her honest expression of suffering makes her more relatable and easy to sympathize with.

Then one afternoon, a man showed kindness to Chiyo. She has not felt kindnes since her separation from her family; its rarity struck her. But all of a sudden, everything turned brighter and more hopeful for her.This became the second turn in Chiyo's life.

The novel tells a coming-of-age story on how Chiyo transforms into a geisha that later she described:

"I've heard it said that the week in which a young girl prepares for her debut as an apprentice geisha is like when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. It's a charming idea; but for the life of me I can't imagine why anyone ever thought up such a thing. A caterpillar has only to spin its cocoon and doze off for a while; whereas in my case, I'm sure I never had a more exhausting week."

The characters, places and even kimonos become so alive through Chiyo's metaphoric and detailed narration. Chiyo can be so generous in praising a character's beauty like, surprisingly, Hatsumomo. She can also be so blunt like how she described the mother of the okiya as having yellow eyes that Chiyo compared to a urine-stained toilet. Chiyo's narration only emphasizes that in the world of geishas, beauty is the prime.

But behind a geisha's beauty is hard work. Chiyo trained from a very young age about art, music, dances and tea ceremonies. However, mastery of art does not guarantee to turn a woman into a clever geisha. To be truly successful, Chiyo needed to rival against other geishas, like Hatsumomo. And to catch and keep men's attention, she also needed to learn how to entertain and please them. Luckily for Chiyo, she has Mameha, the top geisha of Gion, as her mentor.

In one part, Mameha shows Chiyo how to "send message" with a flick of her eyes:

"Mameha went around the corner again, and this time came back with her eyes to the ground, walking in a particularly dreamy manner. Then as she neared me her eyes rose to meet mine for just an instant, and very quickly looked away. I must say, I felt an electric jolt; if I'd been a man, I would have thought she'd given herself over very briefly to strong feelings she was struggling to hide."

Mameha further taught Chiyo about the weaknesses of men for women, like the mizuage (virginity), sex and sensuality. On those parts, the novel takes a sexist attitude against men. In some other parts, readers are teased, sometimes appalled, with fetishes.

When Chiyo made her debut as a geisha, her name is changed to Sayuri. With close guidance from Mameha, Sayuri became a good rival in the world of geishas. She has become skilled, not only in the arts but also in flirting, and most especially, she's aware of men's weaknesses and intentions.

Sayuri inevitably attracted a lot of men and formed different kinds of relationships with them; she was a friend, an inspiration, a mistress, a forbidden love, and an unrequited love. Men pay for her company. They engage in a bidding war for her mizuage. Her danna (husband) provides for all her needs just to make her his mistress. With all those attentions and connections with influential men, Sayuri rose from being a servant to one of the top geishas in Gion.

But to label Sayuri as a prostitute is to disregard her life, talents, and efforts. In Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden created characters with complexity and depth; readers are left with feelings of admiration, love, pity, or hatred for the main characters. It is heartbreaking to think that Sayuri, Mameha, and some other characters, are only fictional. It is no wonder why many readers felt affected when the novel got caught in a controversy back in 2001. Readers need to be reminded that Memoirs of a Geisha, though based on real Japanese culture, is first and foremost, a work of fiction. It has its share of comedy, drama, and fairy tale.

"You have a great deal of water in your personality... It changes shape and flows around things, and finds the secret paths no one else has thought about...There's no doubt it's the most versatile of the five elements... And yet you haven't drawn on those strengths in living your life, have you?"

'Gapo

2012-08-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

Isang bayan sa gitnang Luzon ang masigla at magulo dahil sa pagdaong ng barkong pansadatahan ng Amerika sa base militar nito sa Pilipinas-- ang mundo ng 'Gapo'. Sa madidilim at maingay na club at bars, na pinaglalagian ng mga Ameriakano sa Gapo, makikila ng mga mambabasa ang mga karakter ni Mike, Magda, Ali, at Modesto. Bagama't may iba't ibang buhay, paninindigan at katauhan ang bawat karakter, malaki pa din ang pagkakahalintulad ang kani-kanilang mga problema.

Isang binatang Amerikanong puti ang kumakanta ng may lyrics na pasaring sa mga 'Kano at hostess na pumupuno sa isang bar sa 'Gapo. Dahil ang kanta ay Filipino, pawang ang mga hostess lang ang tunay na nagtatawanan habang ang mga 'di nakakaintinding mga Amerikano'y pilit na nakikisama sa halakhakan ng kanilang mga ka-table, para maiwasang mapahiya. Ang kumakanta sa entablado ay si Mike, at sa kanyang mga awit nailalabas niya ang pagkapoot sa isang parte ng kanyang pagkatao-- ang pagiging anak sa labas ng isang dating GI na 'Kano sa isang dating hostess na si Dolores.

Isa sa mga karamihan ng mga hostess sa bar ay si Magda, ang roommate at kaibigan ng nanay ni Mike (na sa paglaon ay naging kaibigan na din niya). Kabilang si Magda sa maraming nangangarap makalipat sa Amerika sa pamamagitan ng pagpapakasal sa isang sundalong 'Kano. Ang mga gaya ni Magda ay sadyang humahanap ng karelasyong 'Kano, hindi para umibig, kundi para matupad ang kanyang mga pangarap ng masmaayos na buhay. Sa katangiang ito ni Magda, naaalala ni Mike ang sinapit ng kanyang inang si Dolores, at dahil dito, madalas na nagiging punto ng pagtatalo sa pagitan nilang magkaibigan.

Ang karakter ni Magda ang pinakadirektang metaphor para sa Pilipinas na mabilis na nagpasilaw sa materyelistang pananaw ng mga Amerikano. Gaya ng mahirap na buhay ni Magda, ang Pilipinas ay nasadlak sa kahirapan matapos ang Ikalawang Digmaang Pandaigdig. Ginusto ni Magda, at gayon din ng Pilipinas, na mapabilis ang pag-unlad o pagyaman. Sa kaso ng Pilipinas, hinayaan ng gobyerno ang Tydings Rehabilitation Act upang makakuha ng "tulong" mula sa Amerika kapalit ang lupang gagawing base militar ng mga Amerikano dito sa Timogsilangang Asya. Sa pangyayari kay Magda, pumayag naman siya na sumiping sa costumer niyang 'Kano upang makakuha ng "allowance". At gaya din ng kinahinatnan ni Magda sa 'Kanong costumer, nagiwan ang mga Amerikano ng mga pinsala sa mga nagi nitong base militar.

Habang si Magda ay lapitin ng mga lalaki, si Ali naman ang tila hirap na hirap makahanap ng lalaking iibig sa kanya sa dahilang siya ay isang bakla. Bumabayad si Ali ng lalaki upang makakuha ng isang gabing aliw. Nagkaroon lang ng pagkakaiba ang kanyang buhay nang dumating ang pamangkin niyang si Jeffrey. Sa takot na magaya sa kanya ang pamangkin, pinilit niyang makahanap ng isang tunay na lalaking iibig sa kanya. Tila dininig ng Diyos ang kanyang panalangin, may nakikilala siyang Amerikanong sundalo, seloso pero maalalahanin sa kanya...o iyon nga ba ang tunay na katauhan ng sundalo?

Kompara sa Dekada '70, ang nobelang ito ay bahagya at metaphorical lamang ang nagbibigay pansin sa femistang opinyon sa karakter ni Magda. Ipinagiiba nitong nobela din ay ang ilan-ilang may simpatyang komento para sa mga bakla. Ito naman ay makikita sa karakter ni Ali. Isang halimbawa ng paglalarawan sa buhay ni Ali:

"Sa Gapo o saanmang lugar, ang mga gaya ni Alipio ay makakatipo...magmamagdamag sila kung saan at bukas, uuwi si Bakla nang barya na lang ang laman ng pitaka niya, kung titirhan pa nga siya maski barya ng lalaking sasamahan niya ngayong gabi.

Ito yata ang batas ng kasarinlan at padron ng buhay ng mga gaya ni Ali."

Sa apat na tauhan ng nobela, tila si Modesto ang may matiwasay na buhay dahil sa malaking kita niya sa trabaho, ang bagay na pinagtitimpian din niya. Parang normal lang din naman na matapos ang mahirap na araw ng trabaho niya baseng Amerikano, ibinuhuhos niya malaking kita niya sa pag-iinom sa bar. Sa katwiran naman niya:

"Ke alak, ke gamot, paglagi mong iniinom... katagala'y nagiging manhid ang katawan mo. Sa huli'y hindi ka na tatablan pa. Totoo 'yon pati sa kaso ng pagkaapi."

Matiyatiyaga na ni Modesto ang paghihirap sa trabaho ngunit biglang nag-iba ang sitwasyon nang malaman niya na ang kanyang anak ay magtatrabaho na din sa base ng Amerikano. Sa pag-aalala sa kanyang imahe at dignidad sa pagtingin sa kanya ng bata, napilitan na si Modestong baguhin na ang pagtrato sa kanya ng mga Amerikano.

Nakita ang biglang pag-iiba ni Modesto sa isang tagpo kung saan nakikipag-usap sa kanya si William, isang kaibigang Amerikano:

"'You know something? Japan doesn't ever allow US nuclear ships to go anywhere near their territory. They're too cautious to take the chance.'

'The chance of having a leak and exploding?'...

'Zambales and Bataan would be erased from the map. Not a single thing would survive'...

'I just wish one thing, William'

'That you wouldn't happen to be around when something like that happens?' biro niya.

'That all of you are are around when something like that happens!'"

Gaya ng ibang nobela ni Lualhati Bautista, ang 'Gapo' ay isang pagsasalarawan at paglalahad ng problemang panlipunan. Ang malaking pagkakaiba ng 'Gapo sa Dekada '70 ay ang kapakinabangan ng ikatlong punto de vista, kung saa, masmalayang nailahad ni Bautista ang aping kalagayan ng mga Filipino sa base militar ng Amerika sa Pilipinas. Sa pangibabaw, aakalain na ang tunggalian sa nobela ay limitado lamang sa away ng mga Amerikanong puti laban sa mga Filipino. Subalit kung susuriin, malaking parte ng tunggalian din ang mga sikolohiyal na problema ng mga tauhan. Isa itong kwento na hindi lamang tumatalakay sa tagong girian ng bansang Pilipinas at Amerika. Higit sa lahat, nagbabahagi din ito ng kwento ukol sa pang-aabuso sa dignidad ng mga indibidwal, at kung paano dapat ipaglalaban ang kanyang pagkatao.

Dekada '70

2012-08-27T22:43:00.000-07:00

Totoo sa titulo nito, tinatahak ng nobela ang ilang mahahalagang pangyayari sa buong dekada '70, ang di-malilimutang radikal na panahon sa Pilipinas. Nagsimula ang nobela sa taong 1972 nang isailalim ni Pangulong Marcos sa Batas Militar ang buong kapuluan at isuspendi ang Writ of Habeas Corpus.

Sentro ng nobela ay isang pangkaraniwang burgis na pamilya, ang mga Bartolome, na natagpuan ng bawat miyembro ang kanilang sarili na may iba't ibang reaksyon ukol sa mga nagaganap sa lipunan. Ikinukwento ang nobela sa punto de vista ni Amanda Bartolome, ina sa apat na anak na lalaki, at housewife kay Julian Bartolome. Sa pamamagitan ng mga kwento ni Amanda tungkol sa apat na anak, naipapakita ng nobela ang mga piniling reaksyon at buhay ng mga bata upang tumulong baguhin ang magulong lipunan: ang panganay na si Jules na tuluyang naging rebelde; ang sumunod na si Gani na piniling sumapi sa US Navy; ang matalinong si Em na piniling maglabas ng kanyang mga opinyon sa pagsusulat; ang paboritong si Jason, malambing at mabarkada, ang sumapit ng malagim na kapalaran; at ang bunsong si Bingo na nagkaroon ng interes sa pagiging pulis o imbestigador. Ang mag-asawang Bartolome, sa tagong paraan man, bilang mga mapagmahal, maintindihin at liberal na mga magulang ay nakapagambag din ng tulong upang magkaroon ng pagbabago sa dekada '70.

Kung sa mga batang Bartolome, ang pag-aaral sa mga unibersidad ang nagmulat sa kanila ng mga mali sa lipunan, ang impluwensya marahil ng progresibong lipunan ang nagturo naman kay Amanda na ikwestyon ang mga dating konserbatibo at di-pantay na pagtingin sa mga babae. Isang aspeto din ng nobela ay ang mga femistang ideya at opinyon ni Amanda Bartolome. Nagi itong dagdag na metaphor tungkol sa pagkamulat ng isang tao sa kamalian ng lipunan na kanyang kinabibilangan. Sa katauhan ni Amanda, unti-unti niyang natutunan ang pagtatanong tungkol sa mga karapatang pambabae:

"Maaring Bartolo ang apelyido ko o Cruz o Santos-- pero apelyido 'yon na minana ko lang sa tatay ko, at minana ng tatay ko sa tatay niya. Oo nga pala,bakit puro sa tatay nagmamana ng apelyido? Bakit kahit minsan, hindi sa nanay?"

Ang mga bagong ideya ni Amanda ang nagdala din ng tensyon sa relasyon at pagsasama nila ni Julian. Subalit, 'di gaya ng sinapit ng pamahalaang Marcos laban sa mga mamamayan, mas naging payapa ang pagkakasundo ng mag-asawang Julian at Amanda sa katapusan.

Maayos na binigyan ni Lualhati Bautista, ang may akda, ng matibay na dahilan ang bawat aksyon na pinili ng mga karakter. Sa ilang senaryo ng pakikipag-usap o pakikipagtalo ng mga bata kina Julian at Amanda, nagkakaroon ng pagkakataon na masulyapan ng mambabasa ang tunay na isyung panlipunan. Dahil dito, tila isang expose din ang nobela na tumutukoy sa maraming pang-aabusong ginawa ng mga dayuhang negosyante, bansa at pandaigdigang samahan laban sa mga Filipino. Isang halimbawa nito ay ang panggigiit ng World Bank at International Monetary Fund na gawing "export-oriented economy" ang Pilipinas:

"Sinusulat ko ito ay nakasampa na sa $17B ang panlabas na utang ng Pilipinas, partikular ang World Bank at International Monetary Fund, dalawang international lending institutions na bagama't kapwa binubuo ng lagpas isandaan at tatlumpung member countries ay kapwa din dominado't kontrolado ng Amerika."

Sa bawat henerasyon ng isang nasyon, may iilang rebolusyonaryong nobela ang nakakapagpinta ng tunay na kalagayan ng kanyang kapanahunan. Gaya ng Noli Me Tangere sa panahon ng mga Kastila sa Pilipinas, ang Dekada '70 naman ang kasama sa mga espesyal na nobela na nagpapakita ng naging buhay ng mga Filipino sa ilalim ng rehimeng Marcos.

Pero ang babae (ang tao, for that matter), talian man ang katawan o suutan ng chastity belt, ay may uri ng kalayaang hindi mananakaw ng kahit sino; ang kalayaan niyang mag-isip.

Ligo na u, Lapit na me

2012-08-15T23:43:00.000-07:00

Isang nobela tungkol sa unang pag-ibig na sa kakaibang paraan ay walang kasamang ma-dadramang linya, tagpo o sandali sa pagitan ng babae at lalaki.

Habang estudyante si Intoy sa kolehiyo, nakaklase niya si Jen, isang magandang babae, at dahil na din dito, maraming lalaki ang nanliligaw kay Jen. Aakalain ng mambabasa na nagkataong isa lang si Intoy sa mga nanliligaw kay Jen ngunit ang kasalungat ang nangyari; binaliwala ni Intoy si Jen at si Jen ang parang nanligaw kay Intoy. Hindi dahil masmaraming babae o magandang lalaki si Intoy ngunit dahil natural lang mas mataas ang pride ni Intoy. Na-intriga si Jen kay Intoy at siya na unang lumapit dito.

Sa pagtagal, ang pagkakaibigan nila Intoy at Jen ay nag-iba at nagi silang "friends with benefits and perks", kung tawagin ni Intoy. Lumala ang komplikadong relasyon ng dalawa dahil sa paiba-ibang ugali ni Jen at sa pagpupumilit ni Intoy na itago ang pagmamahal niya kay Jen. Sa katapusan ng nobela, nawala si Jen kay Intoy at naiwan ang bida na dismayado, nangungulila at nagsisisi sa pangyayari. Hindi na nalaman ni Intoy (at hindi din klaro sa mga mambabasa) kung umibig din si Jen kay Intoy. Nanatili na lang ang imahe ni Jen na isang mayaman, maganda at radikal na babae.

Jen,

The feeling is mutual. Nabigay ka. Nagbigay din ako. Hehe!

Karl/Intoy/Dude

Wasak! Very safe. Hindi atakador, hindi defensive. Hindi nagpi-feeling pero hindi rin nagpapakamanhid

Ikinukuwento ang nobela mula sa pananaw ni Intoy, isang bente-anyos na binatilyo, pilosopo at sarkastiko na minsan ay nakakakuha ng simpatya, gaya ng linya na ito:

"Baka gaya rin ako ng mga eksperto sa buhay ng tao, pilit hinahanapan ng mali ang okay naman talaga. Hindi na makuntentong may kalaro lang... may iba pang hanap o gusto... Binigyan na ng katawan, gusto pa buong pagkatao."

Karamihan naman sa ibang linya ay exaggeration na nakakatawa gaya ng deskripsyon ni Intoy habang nasa kalagitnaan siya ng Physics test:

"...open notes, open books, open tables at lahat ng gusto kong i-open at i-close, kahit prayer book, Biblia, Qur'an, Summa Theologica ni Santo Tomas at Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas. Pero kahit mangopya ako kahit kanino, o humingi pa ako ng saklolo sa kaluluwa ng mga ninuno kong namayapa, malamang hindi pa rin tatama ang sagot ko."

Dahil na din sa karakter ni Intoy, ang nobela ay kinukwento sa paraang balbal, maraming mura, paligoy-ligoy at puno ng politikal na opinyon mula kay Intoy. Sa nobelang ito, mahusay na naipakita ni Eros Atalia kung paano mag-isip ang isang gaya ni Intoy na hinayaan ang pride o kayabangan na masmapahalagahan kumpara sa pag-ibig.

Sa Filipino

2012-08-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

Para sa Buwan ng Wika, Agosto, magbabahagi ako ng ilang nobela/aklat na isinulat at inilimbag sa wikang Filipino. Sa parehas na wika ko din isusulat ang mga review. Ito ang aking paraan upang bigyang importansya at pansin ang wika na tumutulong bumuo ng literatura at kulturang Filipino.

(For the month of August, I will share novels/books written and printed in Filipino language. Reviews will be written in Filipino. This my way of giving importance and recognition to the language that helps build Philippine literature and culture.)

Aswang (Monters) and Supernaturalisms: Nocturnal Deities

2012-08-04T09:03:00.001-07:00

Aswang (Monsters) and Supernaturalisms: Nocturnal Deities is a non-fiction book that explores folktales from Atimonan, a town rich with myths and supernatural stories, taken as an example of Filipino traditional beliefs and practices explained by the author, Alta Grace de Gracia, in the light of sociology and anthropology.

The first chapter is an introduction on Filipino supernatural concepts and an explanation of its significance in maintaining a community. According to this book, folktales is a reflection of the values, attitudes and conscience of a particular community. It is a means of social control to justify or show the younger and/or new members of a certain community what actions and beliefs are acceptable in their society.

Succeeding chapters 2 and 3 show the interplay of socioeconomy, ethonography and ecology of Atimonan as important factors affecting the existence and spread of the folktales. Some parts of Atimonan is also part of Sierra Madre mountains like the Bitukang Manok, while the Maling river snakes through some barrios connecting itself to Lamon Bay, the sea that the poblacion (town proper) faces. The lush forests in the mountains and the bodies of water that surrounds Atimonan provides not only a mystic atmosphere of nature but also a source of livelihood for many of its people.

The book cites the feast of Our Lady of the Angels that is celebrated on August 2 when locals give thanks to God and the Virgin Mary for the harvests given to farmers and for the safety granted to fishermen. Observing this tradition creates a sense of security, and gives its people an opportunity to socialize and display social status and prestige.

Found in the last three chapters of the book are the personal stories of locals about their rituals, experiences and even close encounters with the supernatural. Some of it are first hand, while a few are second hand accounts passed by locals' forefathers. It includes locals' personal explanation of their beliefs, and the academic interpretation from Alta de Gracia.

The last pages of the book contains the appendices and the author's list of references. The appendices are helpful for those who plans to visit the town as it shows a map how to get to Atimonan. It has a list, and pictures of caves and mountains for hikers, mountain climbers, divers and any nature-lover who wants to discover unexplored places.

This book may be most appreciated by those who are interested in psychology, sociology, anthropology, Philippine literature and culture. But just the same, any reader who likes supernatural and paranormal stories will find this book as entertaining and enlightening.

As an Atimonanin myself, reading a book about my hometown gave me a feeling of nostalgia. Growing up in Atimonan, I was constantly amused (and warned) through folktale, shared by our kasama (helpers) and elder relatives. Needless to say, over time, the eerie stories and local traditions lost its appeal to me, and I began to see it as typical trivial things. It was only in reading this book, one that provided an objective and scholarly view, that I gained a new and appreciative way of enjoying this uniquely Filipino tradition.

The Old Man and the Sea

2012-07-31T08:59:00.000-07:00

The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of how an old Cuban fisherman redeems himself from a long time of desperation. For 84 days straight, the old man has not caught any fish, and it had led many to believe that the old man has lost his luck. But the old man thinks,

"Everyday is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready".

So on the 85th day, the old man sets out again. This time, he catches a blue marlin. It has such a great strength that he could not raise and kill it on the boat. The old man decides to wait for it to become weak, while allowing it to tow him farther out to the sea. What was supposed to be a few hours of fishing stretched into days. The old man was left with plenty of time in loneliness, and it turned his thoughts somewhat philosophic with lines like this:

"It is good that we do not have to try to kill the sun or the moon or the stars. It is enough to live on the sea and kill our true brothers."

To fully appreciate the story, it can be helpful to know some of basic terms in fishing, since the novel's actions and settings center on it. The story is told in third person narration, filled with lines and descriptions that are direct, but heavy with messages: a show of Ernest Hemingway's mastery in fiction writing. With this novel, Hemingway proves that skillful narration is most vital in creating a powerful story, the kind that moves readers to re-examine the values of humanity and the ways of society.

"He always thought of the sea as la mar which is what people call her in Spanish when they love her... the old man always thought of her as feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favours, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them. The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought."

The Last Templar

2012-07-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

Raymound Khoury's The Last Templar is a novel similar to Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. Its story revolves around the mystery in Christ's life and identity, that according to theories, is being kept by the Roman Catholic Church. To devout Catholics and Christians, this novel may be taken as blasphemous or as an intriguing read.

The novel begins in the 13th century Acre when the Templar lost the holy city to Muslims. Then it switches to a gala night in modern day New York, where Vatican treasures are displayed at the Metropolitan Museum. Four horsemen dressed as Templar arrive, and the glamorous crowd and media applauds at what everyone thinks as an exhibition-- until someone is beheaded and one of the horsemen began to shoot.

"This wasn't routine armed robbery. It was a full-blown raid. Automatic machinegun fire had raked New York's A-list. The mayor's wife was taken hostage. A man was executed in plain sight; not just host, but beheaded, and not in a walled courtyard in some Middle Eastern dictatorship, but here in Manhattan, on Fifth Avenue.

On live television."

The anthropologist Tess Chaykin was nervously hiding behind a cabinet when she witnesses a horseman reverently take a decoder and recite, "Veritas vos liberabit". After the raid, Tess emerges with her mother and daughter unharmed, but whatever Tess witnessed that night, kept her baffled in the next few days.

Later that night, the FBI arrives at the scene. Sean Reilly, an FBI agent, immediately felt uneasy about this case. None in their team could fathom the public aspect of the crime. Sean Reilly is convinced that someone or some group was trying to convey a message. At the top of his list for suspects were the extremist groups. But all his ideas changed when he meets Tess Chaykin, and learns about what she witnessed and researched. The investigation suddenly shifts to another angle, one that includes the mystery of the Knights Templar.

Throughout the novel, Sean constantly struggles to understand the historical significance of the case. But every time he doubts, Tess Chaykin's charm and determination convince him otherwise. In the course of their investigation, Tess and Reilly realize that there are other parties hunting, and racing against them, to get to the truth.

The Last Templar is narrated in third person point of view, divided in short, action-packed chapters that leave readers either hanging or in shock. There is little development for the characters but the gripping plot and Raymound Khoury's descriptive narration makes up for it. The romantic tension between Tess and Reilly served both as a variety and complication for the plot. With all those qualities in the novel, a reader can easily be reminded of a Hollywood movie (and it did become a miniseries). The Last Templar can be an entertaining read for those who are interested in the history of Christianity, Knights Templar, and conspiracy theories.

The Pearl

2012-07-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

Just like the other classic works of John Steinbeck, The Pearl is a social novel that depicts a discriminatory society ruled by human's greed, shown through the tragic story of a rural family.

The novel is set in a rural town of La Paz, Mexico, during the Spanish colonial period. The main character is the pearl diver Kino, who suddenly becomes the envy of the whole town when he finds the precious "pearl of the world". For a poor man like Kino, the pearl was key to all the dreams he did not dare to want before: a church wedding with his wife, Juana, and an education for his son, Coyotito. Intoxicated with all those dreams, Kino hid the pearl and guarded it with his life against all those who tried to steal it.

One day, Kino tried to sell the pearl with some local dealers; he received an offer of one thousand pesos. But Kino immediately sensed the local dealer's manipulation; he was convinced that the pearl cost at least fifty thousand pesos. Kino turned indignant, by the end of the day, he and Juana decide to leave in hopes of getting a better deal in another town. However, their departure did not go as smoothly as planned, for no one welcomed change, and many in town wanted the big round pearl.

In The Pearl, John Steinbeck vividly captured the rhythm and simplicity of rural life. The novel is filled with rich descriptions of the environment and activities of both people and animals, things that characterizes the life in the province. Steinbeck even went to the point of giving La Paz, the town itself, a psyche of its own:

"A town is a thing separate from all other towns, so that there are no two towns alike. And a town has a whole emotion. How news travels through a town is a mystery not easily to be solved. News seems to move faster than small boys can scramble and dart to tell it, faster than women can call it over the fences."

More appalling however was John Steinbeck's use of casual tone in revealing the abuses in society. With this, he effectively implied that injustice was unfortunately common. He also used third person point of view that gives the readers an understanding of Kino's thoughts as well as the tensed atmosphere in La Paz. Another appealing style in the novel was the use of metaphor to represent humans' goodness and evilness with Native Indians' songs. There were three songs that Kino consistently heard throughout the novel: Song of the Family, Song of Evil and Song of the Pearl. Through those styles, John Steinbeck beautifully explained human's greatest weakness.

"For it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more. And this is said in disparagement, whereas it is one of the greatest talents the species has and one that has made it superior to animals that are satisfied with that they have."

The Third Angel

2012-06-27T00:44:00.001-07:00

Four love stories in one novel and it all ended in tragedy. Enter the tragic world of love in The Third Angel.

The characters in this novel are both beautifully and irritatingly flawed; the very factor that made them vulnerable to fall for the wrong men. It is only right to say, however, that the characters are admirable for their courage (though irrational and impulsive) to take chance on love. As in real life, those who change and grow survive the tragedy, while the rest who remained entangled, did not.

The novel begins in 1999 when Maddy Heller arrives in London to assist her older sister, Allie, whom she secretly feels insecure with. Love strikes Maddy when she finally meets Paul, her surprisingly charming brother-in-law to be.

The story then steps back in time in the 1960's London when the twenty-something Freida Lewis, daughter of a doctor, choose to work as maid in a hotel. She ditched her university classes to write poems and "live a real life". Love strikes Freida when she becomes the muse of Jamie Dunn, a heroin addict, singer, and boyfriend of an elitist woman.

Finally, the loose ends are tied in the story of twelve-year-old Lucy Green. In 1950's London, Lucy becomes the messenger between two parted lovers.

"He's nothing fierce or terrible or filled with light. He's like us, sometimes we can't even tell him apart. Sometimes we're the ones who try to save him. He's there to show us who we are. Human being aren't gods. We make mistakes."

Though the rough narration in third person limited the expression of emotions, the themes: complexity of love triangle; sorrows of doomed attractions; and death, were all well-explored. With those heavy themes packed in one novel, it was easy to overlook Alice Hoffman's reverse narration. She began the story in 1999 and ended it in 1950's, a key in keeping the suspense throughout the novel.

The highlight of this book is how the independent stories were interwoven clearly and smoothly through the use of character relations (ex. Freida is the mom of Paul) and in using London as the common backdrop.In its interweaving, the novel enlightens the reader on what a Third Angel really is.

Island of the Blue Dolphins

2012-06-08T02:20:00.000-07:00

Island of the Blue Dolphins centers on the lonely yet adventurous life of a Native American girl, Karana when she was left in an island by her tribe. In order to survive, Karana had to do the tasks that was traditionally and solely assigned to the men of their tribe: to craft weapons and to hunt. At the beginning, Karana is filled with uncertainties, but it is soon replaced by a strong will to fight and avenge. The wild dogs that killed her brother frequently surrounded her, so she had no choice but to defend her life.

The novel is told in the point of view of Karana making it almost a reflective story of her solitary life in the island. She is frequently reminiscing her tribal life while sewing skirt, making arrows, and spears. Sometimes, when in the middle of hunting or fighting, she speaks of fears and chances. On boring days, Karana shares her fascination on changing seasons and migrating birds. When her thoughts go deeper, and more introspective, she comes to the point of saying she also enjoyed being alone.

"All day I was among rocks gathering shellfish and only once did I think of the wounded dog, my enemy, lying there in the house, and then to wonder why I had not killed him."

This children's classic, Newbery Medal winner novel, is definitely more than just a story of survival. In Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell also showed a person's transformation as the resentful Karana, once scarred by traumatic experiences, grows into a kind and harmonious person of the island. This is an interesting version of what could have really happened to the historical, and the novel's basis, The Lost Woman of San Nicolas.

Hood

2012-06-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

When Pen O'Grady moved in with the Walls four years ago, she was sure that she and her long time on-and-off lover Cara Wall would remain together until they are old and weak . That was Pen's vision until one Sunday morning when Pen receives a phone call from a hospital informing her that Cara died in a car accident. Suddenly, Pen is alone, left with responsibilities and concerns like that of a widow's. To add difficulty to her situation, no one in their families and community gave her that recognition.

"When these people looked at me they could have no idea that I was anything to their missing relative; that I had let her dip her biscuits in my tea, on and off, for thirteen years; that sometimes, in the middle of a conversation on inflation or groceries, she would look down at my hand in sudden wonder and would tell me, her voice hushed as if in church, 'Oh I want your hand inside me.'"

Hood is a story of grieving, narrated through the self-assured and faithful character of Pen, during a time of numbness. The novel snaps from the earliest part of their relationship --when they met and fell in love while studying in a Catholic school in Dublin --then to the middle part -- when Cara struggles to accept the label on her sexuality-- and even to the later part-- when Pen has accepted Cara's infidelities and restlessness. It provides such detailed descriptions of Pen and Cara's moments, including the intimate passions that invokes readers with Pen's nostalgia.

Cara's character, on the other hand, though established as unpredictable, passionate and sometimes neurotic (with all the frequent travels, flings and tie-dye shirts); it remained unclear how sincere she was about her love for Pen. In the process of grieving, Pen also unearths the repressed, bitter feelings she had for Cara, with lines that goes:

'..Sometimes I suspect that what had really happened was that we became more resigned, more cynical, raised our pain thresholds as we lowered our expectations. All in all, settled for less.'

Such parts in the novel stirs pity and sometimes frustration, for Pen's character.

Emma Donoghue carefully yet casually presented Pen's widowhood-- elaborating on the character's suffering with sudden loss and loneliness-- uniquely aggravated by the relationship's secrecy in the backdrop of the 70-80's conservative, Catholic Dublin. Not only was it inevitable to sympathize with Pen's grieving, but it also conveyed that Pen and Cara's kind of relationship is just like the many honest love stories.

The Alchemist

2012-05-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

Inspiring and comforting read

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is an international bestseller and for that many have shared their opinions about the novel. Many reviews raved about its enchanting effect while some criticized it as too simplistic, preachy and redundant.

It is true that The Alchemist is simplistic, both in narrative style and its plot. A shepherd boy from Spain was bothered by his recurrent dreams so he sought a gypsy to interpret it. The gypsy said that he was being called to visit the Pyramids in Egypt where there is a treasure waiting for him. At first the boy doubted the dream, but when he meets the King of Salem and taught the boy about every person’s Personal Legend, the shepherd changed his mind. With a spirit of an adventurer, the boy sets out to find his treasure. All these were narrated from a third-person point of view. But in these ways, it makes it a fitting novel for readers of any age.

It is also true that it tends to be redundant. The Alchemist, it seems, was written not to impress people by its narrative style or by having a complicated plot; instead, it seems that the goal of the novel is simply to tell the story of an adventure that will remind readers of faith and wisdom. The redundancy and simplicity is expected as the theme of faith means to believe on the fundamentals of things. It encourages readers to go back to the roots of things. To create an emphasis, similar statements are repeated each time the shepherd faces a struggle.

“There was moment of silence so profound that it seemed the city was asleep…It was as if the world had fallen silent because the boy’s soul had. He sat there, staring blankly through the door of the café, wishing he had died, and that everything would end forever at that moment.
The merchant looked anxiously at the boy.

All the joy he had seen that morning had suddenly disappeared.”

The novel is also preachy as it cites some stories from the bible, referred to as ‘Tradition’ in the story. This perception depends, and greatly varies on every reader. It is good to take note though that in this novel, the protagonist is a young shepherd. He is depicted as someone innocent about the ways of life. In his journey, he meets other characters, mostly men of older age. In literature, old age is commonly used to represent or imply wisdom while youth is shown as innocence or aggressiveness. Those very styles were also used in The Alchemist. Aside from mentions of stories from the bible, there are many preachy lines from the older characters addressed to the boy. Because of this, the readers may feel like they are played as innocent as the boy and forced to listen to the elder characters' preaching.

The Alchemist does not appeal to the intellect. It also does not stir heavy emotions nor provide detailed descriptions of its settings. The Alchemist simply tells a story of a magical experience that a boy goes through while in pursuit of his dream. It is an inspiring and comforting read for those who needs to have a hopeful and lighter view of life.

Ilustrado

2012-05-03T07:44:00.003-07:00

Blurs reality and fiction

The novel begins when the body of Crispin Salvador, the “Panther of Philippine Letters” is found floating in New York’s Hudson River. Police investigations, as well as opinions from the Philippine literary circle, and bloggers, concluded that Crispin committed suicide. Some are even saying that he staged his own death. Miguel, being a friend and a student of Crispin Salvador, could not accept this. He believed too that his mentor’s writings, particularly the yet-to-be published expose novel, The Bridges Ablaze, may possibly have something to do with his death. So Miguel ransacks Crispin’s apartment in search of the manuscript only to find the usual things and some notes that mentioned five names. Baffled, Miguel decides to investigate further on Crispin’s life and search for the controversial novel that he believes to be hidden in the Philippines.

"How can anyone estimate the ballistic qualities of words? Invisible things happen in intangible moments. What should keep us writing is precisely that possibility of explosions."

The elements of a floating cadaver, missing manuscript and a protagonist in quest can mislead the readers into thinking that Ilustrado is a typical mystery novel. However, the novel ended with an unexpected twist that can leave a reader either shocked or irritated. For that reason, Ilustrado does not seem to fit as a mystery novel, but it does make it any less deserving of its recognition as a Man Asian Literary Prize winner.

The impact of the novel, it seems, is on how it created a fictional Philippines that is, at the same time, so close to reality, that it is almost mocking Philippine society. The author deliberately named his protagonist, Miguel and gave him a background that is similar to his; Miguel is raised in the Philippines and later sent to study in the US. The novel also used fictional names like Changco and Lupas that sound like the real-life elite surnames: Cojuangco and Lopez. The novel also mentions coup d'etat, rallies, bombings, flooded streets, stolen manhole covers, and spiritual and political leaders living in exclusive subdivisions -- things are very real in the Philippines but bizarre to readers who are not familiar with the country.

To further confuse the readers between reality and fiction, the supposed dead character of Crispin Salvador was made omnipresent throughout the novel. The author presented snippets of Crispin's interviews, literary works, Miguel’s recollection, and the draft of Eight Lives Lived, a biography of Crispin. These writings, complete with footnotes, is the style of narration in Ilustrado. It is not conventional and it quickly transitions from an excerpt in Crispin’s work to Miguel’s point of view. This narration may sometimes confuse and fool readers into believing that Crispin Salvador does exist in Philippine literary. This narrative style also allows readers to be pulled further into different stories, with separate settings and characters; from war-torn Manila to its globalized state; from Crispin’s life as a communist rebel to being a writer-in-exile. All those stories, like puzzle pieces, when joined together, shows Crispin as a rebel who questions patriarchal culture and corrupted socio-political structures.

Ilustrado is a novel filled with caricatures, metaphorical short stories, jokes, and phrases that are more like rants. It gives a rare and cruelly honest depiction of the modern Philippine society that has grown complex with the coexistence of expats, working mass, old rich families, politicians and evangelists, that moves in a country that is still searching for its identity.

Eating Fire and Drinking Water

2012-01-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

Youth's idealism against political greed.

While there are plenty of novels that tells the story of people’s lives during wars and revolutions, Arlene J. Chai’s Eating Fire and Drinking Water, however, tells the story of how characters lived at a time when a revolution is yet to begin.

The story is set in the “city of lies” where the Palace that houses El Presidente and Madam stands by the River. It is the same rive where the body of a student activist leader was dumped. With those details, the novel obviously pertains to Manila during the Marcos’ regime, though the backdrop was never directly said throughout the novel.

“'We can fight fire with water provided we can get it there soon enough. But often we act when it's too late. The result is splattered in the pages of our history: bloodbaths, uprisings, revolutions, you name it. And on it goes. We learn so slowly. After so many centuries, we're still a people who eat fire and drink water.'”

The story is narrated by Clara Perez, a young idealistic journalist whom the editor deliberately assigns to cover the trivial events in the city. One day, Clara is delegated again to write another predictable story, about the fire that disturbed the street of Calle de Leon. Though already frustrated, Clara went to the scene, investigated, and dutifully wrote about it, like how she would treat any other assignments. But little did Clara know that through this seemingly trivial story, she would unearth the past that her current life has long deprived from her.

As Clara’s personal history unfolds, she learns that she has a “mother whose name is Anger, and father whose name is Pride” and that there was an “invisible self-appointed guardian” named Charlie who watched her grow from a distance. How she got involved with the student activists is another work of fate.

The novel is hinged on the idea of destiny as Clara narrates the story as if the characters are only pieces being moved by a “bigger hand”. One of these lines went, “And so, with each player in place, this tale of mine began”. Because of this way of narrating, some of the subplots are predictable. Suspense is not the strength of this novel but it allows the reader to focus more on the flawed traits of characters, which successfully painted a picture of a corrupted and tensed society.

A singing river, a Cathedral that disappears, a legend about a stone, a grand wedding and ambitious marriages, and stigmata were told in the story to further emphasize the interweaving of religious and superstitious beliefs with the political and economic struggles of that society.Some characters, like the brutality of Col. Aure who believes that killing is an art; the deceitful El Presidente; and the difficult life of lowly Rogelio Campos; can leave lasting imprints in the mind of readers.

Secret Daughter

2011-12-13T02:28:00.000-08:00

Secret Daughter and a box of tissue.

“Kavita’s arms are still outstretched, but they hold nothing. After the metal gate clangs shut behind them, Kavita can still hear Usha’s piercing wail echoing inside.”

The story of the Secret Daughter, as the title already implies, revolves on the theme of mother's love. In this novel, it is shown through two very different mothers—Somer, an American, and Kavita, an Indian. The story opens on a night in 1984, in a small village in India where Kavita, a woman from a poor family, gave birth to another baby girl. To save her child Usha from having the same fate as their first daughter, Kavita forced herself to set out to Mumbai, and leave her daughter in an orphanage. This event further marred the relationship between Kavita and Jasu, her husband. Meanwhile, in America, Somer, a confident and career-driven doctor was diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Failure. With a nil chance of having a biological child, she and her husband, Krishnan, decides to adopt a child from an orphanage in Mumbai. Having no natural ties to India and to their child, Somer feared alienation from her own family so she diverts her energies from her career to being a faultless mother. She resolved to build a secured environment for their adopted child, Asha, almost banishing the past and the Indian culture from their family.

Jasu and Kavita’s relationship healed when Kavita gave birth again, this time to a son whom they named Vijay. Concerned about Vijay’s future, Jasu decided to move his family from their village to Mumbai in hopes of a better life. But Mumbai was a city where, “people here live like animals: packed into small spaces, fighting over every necessity of life.” Faced with worse living conditions, Kavita’s resentment against Jasu was reopened. Throughout the novel, readers will find Kavita constantly struggling to keep her loyalty in Jasu while yearning for the daughter she lost.

The novel spans twenty years and we see glimpses of Asha as she grows up in America She persistently questions her identity in both personal and cultural viewpoints. When Asha won a journalism fellowship to Mumbai, she took advantage of the opportunity and tried to reunite with her lost past. In her nine-month stay in Mumbai, Asha discovered more than chai tea and intricately designed saris, for she saw the city through the eyes of an aspiring journalist. Through Asha, readers are introduced to the two worlds of Mumbai-- the wide gap between rich and poor, and India’s preference for sons over daughters. At the end of her stay, Asha‘s meaning of family and mother’s love was changed.

Secret Daughter is a story full of contrasts: from America’s sterility against Mumbai's littered surroundings; America's “bland food” against India's spicy dishes; then to Somer’s joy in raising Asha against Kavita’s longing for her children. The disparities were presented through short chapters (with seven pages at the most), switching in Somer, Kavita and Asha’s stories. In simple narration, Shilpi Somaya Gowda successfully evoked the emotions of loss, fear, hope and anger, proving again that such feelings transcend race and culture. Personally, it was the ending of the story that moved me into crying as it gives another heartbreaking contrast between Kavita’s life in India and that life Asha gained in America.