Fiction
Reviews, unless otherwise stated, are by Eulalio Ibarra, Tribung Pinoy's
resident writer.
Before anything else, allow me to list first the book which is close to my
heart, because one of my pieces was included in it:
On a Bed of Rice: An Asian
American Erotic Feast edited by Geraldine Kudaka, Anchor Books, 1995.
From the book: On a Bed of Rice
is the
first book to display the richness of erotic literature by Americans of Chinese,
Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, East Indian, Pakistani and Amerasian
descent. With stories, essays, poems, and photographs, editor Geraldine Kudaka
features a kaliedoscope of erotic veiwpoints on such themes as sexual awakening,
identity and exploration, marital betrayal, and interracial love. Writen in styles
ranging from the lyrical to the lascivious, from the provocative to the explicit,
On a Bed of Rice is a feast for all lovers of fine literature - and the erotic.
"Exquisite tension ..." Far Eastern Economic Review.
Order On A Bed
of Rice now.
So there, now that my bias is out of the way, let's go on and take potshots at other books -
Dark Blue Suit : And Other Stories
by
Peter Bacho
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The New York Times Book Review, Anderson Tepper :
A middle-aged Philippine-American son pauses thoughtfully at a cluster of graves in a
Seattle cemetery: alongside the body of his enigmatic father lie several other colorful
characters from the same generation of Philippine immigrants who came to America in
the 1920's and 30's.... In rough-hewn and wistful style, Bacho's stories bring to life
the hardscrabble years of the first wave of migrant laborers--and capture as well the
ambivalence of their American-born children, who come of age during the 1960's.
Throughout these tales of embattled lives, there is the reminder of the original
immigrants' dream--shiny blue suits, but word and faded over time.
Biggest Elvis
by P. F. Kluge
Published by Viking Press
Publication date: August 1, 1996
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I have just read the first chapter of the book on the bus while going to work this morning. I can tell you right now
that it is a very engrossing read, I almost missed my stop. So far as I can tell, it is about three Elvis Presley
impersonators (one for each stage of his life: his youth, his middle age years and during his decline) working in
a bar called Graceland in Olongapo City, just outside the Subic Naval Base a little before they were going to close it.
It is a world that ordinary people seldom knew about ...
Many critics have hailed the book as a parable of American life, albeit, being lived outside America. According to
the Los Angeles Time, this book is "a serious book as well as a very entertaining one ... Kluge has drawn a
splendidly human portrait of the Olongapo townspeople ... His sympathetic stories of the bargirls who make dates with the
Graceland custormers are a small Dickensian novel in themselves."
The New York Times of Book Review said: "Kluge writes lyrically, whether he's describing the gaudy onstage triumphs
of his Elvis trinity or the crushing hardships of life around the Subic Bay naval base. And he links the stages of
Big e's life to what he sees as the phases of America's identity - a descent from vigorous pioneer nation to aging,
swollen colossus ... a dreamy, melancholic tale of economic and pop-cultural imperialism."
Many other newspapers and reviews hailed this book ... and judging from the first chapter alone, I know I will enjoy
reading this. It is very easy to read, the writing is very lyrical so it just flows and flows ...
The Last Time I Saw Mother by Arlene J. Chai
Arlene J. Chai is a Filipino-Chinese-Australian living in Sydney who has woven a powerful
tale about mothers and daughters. She is touted to be one of the most stunning new
novelists in years. In The Last Time I Saw Mother, she takes readers (especially
non-Filipino readers) to a place where they have never been before. Amy Tan (of The Joy
Luck Club, The Kitchen Goddess Wife etc.) says of this book: "A remarkable first novel
filled with family secrets and intersection of personal and world histories, told through
four mesmerizing voices."
The Last time I Saw Mother is an alternate selection of the Literary Guild. Published
by Fawcett Columbine Ballantine Books (a division of Random House), New York, 1996.
Order now!
The Gangster of Love by Jessica Hagedorn
From the book: "Alternating between the Philippines and the United States, The
Gangster of Love is the story of Rocky Rivera, who plays in a dissolute rock
band with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Elvis Chang; Rocky's spirited and
deeply traditional mother, Milagros; her troubled and bedeviled brother, Voltaire;
her wonderfully eccentric uncle, Marlon; and her best friend, the wildly unpredictable,
enigmatic Keiko. These along with other characters real and imagined, form a family
story spanning generations and cultures. Together they grow and through adulthood,
acquiring spouses, lovers, companions, children, and in-laws; making a place for
themselves in the world; shattering myths, icons, and expectations; struggling to find that point
where alienation and assimilation, identity and dignity, coincide."
Jessica Hagedorn's first novel, Dogeaters was nominated for a National Book
Award in 1990 and was voted the best book of the year by the Before Columbus
Foundation. She is also the author of Danger and Beauty: Poetry and Prose,
as well as the editor of Charlie Chan is Dead: an Anthology of Contemporary
Asian American Fiction.
Order now!
The Gangster of Love, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1996.
Charlie Chan Is Dead, an Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Fiction edited
by Jessica Hagedorn. Published by Penguin Books 1993.
Included in this anthology are many Filipino American literary luminaries including Peter Bacho ( author of "Cebu"),
N.V.M. Gonzalez, Jessica Hagedorn, R. Zamora Linmark, Ninotchka Rosca, Bienvenido Santos,
Jose Garcia Villa, and netter Marianne Villanueva. A truly wonderful book to shatter
stereotypes, especially Charlie Chan.
From the book: The writers included in this ground-breaking anthology are
exhilarating in their differences: cultural backgrounds, age range, literary styles.
From Jose Garcia's minimalist "Untitled Story," first published in 1933, to Meena
Alexander's Manhattan Music," with its razor-sharp look at the hip downtown New York
art scene of the troubled 1990s, their stories sweep across the twentieth century
and across the range of Asian American experience. These characters make love,
worry about the future, endure hardships ... These are stories about Asian Americans,
yes, but, finally, they are stories about life."
Purchase
Charlie Chan is Dead now!
Cebu by Peter Bacho, University of Washington Press, 1991. I read this when it
first came out - about the same time when I was writing, well, toying with writing
stories. Pretty good book I think, especially that it portrayed the life of an Asian
American (in Seattle) which is a totally foreign life to me. And what particularly
struck me is that Bacho was able to effectively contrast that life to Filipino life by
also including chapters set in Cebu. For some reason though, the novel left me a
little bit disturbed. I now forgot the story, but that feeling still lingers on. It
probably was a good book.
Order Cebu now.
Sins by F. Sionil Jose,
Random House, 1996. I've read this book and couldn't put it down. It's like a
jigsaw puzzle, reading in between the lines who's who in Philippine politics is
depicted in the novel. It's basically the lifestory of the obscenely rich partriarch
who on his deathbed recalls his loves, the ones he lost and yearned for. It's basically
a tale of the steady degredation of our beloved country. It merited a one page
review (by Pico Iyer) in the NY Times Book Book Review. " ... set in the Philippines,
this amorality tale shadows a rake's impenitent progress ..."
From the book: "F. Sionil Jose is a bookseller, editor and publisher of the
journal Solidaridad; founding president of the Philippines PEN Center;
and an author published in twenty-four languages but only lately in the United
States."
For more of F. Sionil Jose, consult:
Order Sins now.
Scent of Apples by Bienvenido N. Santos, Washington University Press, 1979.
I read this in high school and couldn't remember anything about it. It must have
been a celebrated novel, or else, I wouldn't have not touched it. I will read it
again and do a report here sometime. The late Bienvenido N. Santos was one of
the Philippines' foremost man of letters. Meanwhile, you can order
Scent
of Apples through Amazon.com Books.
Dogeaters by
Jessica Hagedorn. One of the more celebrated novels in 1990. Nominated for the US National Book Award in 1990. Robert
Stone says "(It) is a fine achievement on a very serious scale. It succeeds in rendering
the portrait of a nation in troubled times through vivid, memorable characters and
with irrefutable wit and passion. This is the definitive novel of the encouter between
the Philippines and America and their history of mutual illusion, antagonism, and
ambiguous affection. it is a rich and satisfying work and certainly among the best
novels I've read this year ..." From Pantheon Books, 1990.
Jessica Hagedorn is a poet, multimedia artis, screenwriter, and novelist, born and
raised in the Philippines. She moved to the United States in her teens. Dogeaters
is her first novel was nominated for the 1990 National Book Award. Ms. Hagedorn was
also a Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund Writers Award recipient and a 1995 NEA grantee.
Order Dogeaters now.
Ginseng and other Tales from Manila by Marianne Villanueva, Calyx Books, 1991.
This is one of those books that I missed. I remember it having getting good reviews
in trade publications. However, I couldn't find it at all (I didn't realize then, since
I was new in the country, that you can order these things through the bookseller ...).
I since have been in e-mail correspondence with Ms. Villanueva (she's on the net!) and
hopefully, I will be able to get her to comment on her own work one of these days.
Order Ginseng
and other Tales from Manila now.
Her Wild American Self
by M. Evelina Galang, Coffee House Press, 1996. This is a truly delightful and refreshing book. Like "Cebu," the
stories told here are about the Filipino American experience, a totally foreign
experience to me. The New York Times Book Review said "... a stirring debut collection
of short stories ... all told in an elegant, mesmerizing style ..." I particularly
liked the story called "Miss Teenage Sampaguita" about a teenager who is deprived
of everyday pleasures including dating or talking on the telephone by her father
because she is expected to be a doctor. The stories just says to me that Filipinos
in America sometimes are even more Filipinos than in the Philippines, i.e., while
Filipinos are generally shedding off traditional customs in favor of progress,
immigrants are preserving those customs, I guess to give them their identity. A must
read, really, even though a lot of the themes recur in many stories.
M. Evelina Galang, according to the book, was born in Pennsylvania and grew up
in Illinois and Wisconsin. She teaches creative writing at Old Dominion University.
Order Her
Wild American Self now.
The Man Who Thought He Looked Like Robert Taylor by Bienvenido N. Santos,
Cellar Bookshop, 1983. Here is another celebrated novel by Santos. Unfortunately,
I haven't read it, so I can't say anything about it. But you can
order
it now so you can send me a review.
Almost History
by Christopher Bram, Plume, 1993. A very intriguing period novel (from 1960s to
the Martial Law era) considering that the author probably has not lived in Manila
and based everything through second hand experiences. But he was able to capture
the tension that was going on during the repressive years, including what went around
Imelda. Considered to be one of the finest gay novels that came out in recent years.
I particularly don't consider it a gay novel, it just so happens that the main
character is gay.
Order Almost
History now.
But for the Lovers by Wilfredo D. Nolledo. Dalkey Acrchive Press, 1994.
I haven't read this book but Wilfredo D. Nolledo is one of the more readable Filipino
author. Ordering
information.
Sugarland by Philip Finch, St. Martin Press, 1991.
A mystery/thriller novel by SCF
regular Philip Finch (if I remember correctly, he is the one who suggested that
we do an SCF webpage) set in the island of Negros. I believe New York Times gave it
a favorable review (and probably was in the bestseller list of the genre). I finally
read this book and all I could say is that, THIS BOOK ROCKS! Just like any other
thriller, everything is there, from the sympathetic main character, to sinister
villains, shadowy figures and a love interest. But what makes this stands out is the
locale: it is largely set in Negros Island, among the fields of sugar cane of
haciendas, a setting even an ordinary Filipino would have no idea. The setting
is
not only exotic, but it is also fresh, and it is described in the most vivid and lushest
of terms.
A teach-in in the middle of NPA country in Negros ca 1980s, photograph
courtesy of Philip Finch
The main protagonist is catapulted into the political and social turmoil of Negros (the communist New
People's Army, the hacendero warlords, poverty of the sacadas, the
plantation workers, the corruption of the government) in the 1980s, to solve an
insurance fraud. His adventure is taut, the events surrounding him are gory and chilling
but they feel very real. Sometimes he is involved, choice or no choice, sometimes, he
is detached. But involved or detached, what is extraordinary is that the author through
his character, has
captured the
nuances of Filipino life while he was roaming the stark and gruesome
locale.
I heard
from the grapevine that Mr. Finch is writing a screenplay for a big Hollywood outfit
for his latest thriller set on the Internet.
Order Sugarland
now.
When the Rainbow Goddess
Wept by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Plume Penguin, 1993. One of my favorite books
of the moment. I still haven't finished it, I am reading it slowly because I am
thoroughly enjoying the magic that another net regular, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, is
weaving. The story is set during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, in a
magical but real island of Ubec.
"A deeply moving novel ... destined to become a classic ..." - Aram Saroyan, author
of The Street and Friends int he World: The Education of a Writer
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard was born in Cebu City. Her published works include
Woman with Horns and Other Stories and Philippine Woman in America. She
teaches creative wrting at the Writers' Program of UCLA Extension. She divides her
time between the Philippines and Santa Monica, California, where she lives with her
husband and three sons.
Cecilia Brainard is seeking submission for an anthology she is assembling called
Fiction by Filipinos in America. E-mail
me for details. I don't have her email address while I'm writing this. I believe
the deadline is Sept. 15.
Order When
the Rainbow Goddess Wept - softcover - now!
Order When
the Rainbow Goddess Wept - hardcover - now!
F2F by Philip Finch. This has nothing to do with the
Philippines, but since the author has some connection to the Philippines, I might as
well include this on the list. As mentioned in Sugarland above, Philip Finch is
an SCF regular and has lived in the Philippines for sometime. F2F is another
taut thriller, this time set on the Internet. I read this book straight to the finish
without putting it down,
because you just can't. If you're an Internet junkie just like me, you just have to read
this. It is so seamless, it reads like a movie - which will probably be.
The Language of Love (Love Stories) by Kate Emberg. Barton Books, 1996.
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Information.
The Ghosts of Manila, a novel by James
Hamilton-Paterson, Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1994. I just started this book. Like Sugarland
and Almost History, it is set in contemporary Philippines. This has received accolades from
critics. Filipino friends who have read this either hated it because it paints Manila
as the arm pit of the world or loved it because it paints Manila precisely that. The writing is very vivid and describes Manila as its most violent. I'm
just in page 15 as I write this, and already, I've read a most harrowing description of
a ramshackle factory near the international airport where they process human skeletons for
export - victims of salvaging. It was hard to get into this book, but once you get going,
it just sucks you in.
Ordering information.
The Blue Afternoon by William Boyd. Knopf, 1995. I don't know what this is all
about. I've been looking for this book but my local bookstores don't have it. It's probably
another one set in the Philippines. Ordering
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