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mysterymom40's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting
jamies's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Drug use, and Grief
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Animal death, Sexual assault, and Trafficking
marissasa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism
dkayayay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Trafficking, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Minor: Pedophilia
azyef's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Trafficking, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Sexual violence
nikkkimarrry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Speaking from my positionality as a Filipino-Canadian, I think Ribay captured the complexities of the diasporic experience and the confusion of navigating one's hyphenated identity in an engaging, realistic, and honest way. Jay mentions so many times how he feels ashamed for not knowing enough about his Filipino identity - the language, the places, the history, the food - and how his family members in the Philippines chastise him about it in a way that I think many people of the Filipino diaspora could relate to, and also be inspired by. No matter how detached Jay allowed himself to be from his Filipino identity, and even if it won't change the fact that Jun is dead, its not too late for him to start caring and start acting on the issues occurring back home. In relation to these themes, this quote really stuck out to me "It strikes me that I cannot claim this country’s serene coves and sun-soaked beaches without also claiming its poverty, its problems, its history. To say that any aspect of it is part of me is to say that all of it is part of me." (p. 227). "
I think Ribay also does a great of voicing the privileges that the diaspora in the West may have - like assuming access to due process and legal rights/freedoms (although systemic racism and failures of the justice system are whole other conversations) - and how we need to keep ourselves in check when learning about and acting on the struggles back home. In this way, I think what's most powerful about this story is the fact that, even though it is a fictionalized account about the ramifications of Duterte's war on drugs, this is the kind of reality that exists under his leadership. Even so, the story still highlights the tensions that exist amongst Filipino citizens who support Duterte's policies and the brutality, sadness, and fear that simultaneously exists within communities because of these policies. It's not as clear cut as a Western perspective might make it seem - which Jay comes to realize - but still compels readers to honour the people back home who are putting their lives at risk to act on the ground. There is so much activism occurring back home and we will not be the ones to 'save' Filipinos from their plights, as Mia, a journalism student that Jay befriends in the Philippines, says when Jay demands they seek justice for Jun. I think this is a compelling way to engage Filipino readers to think about their responsibilities to the homeland and what it means to act on those responsibilities in a way that is respectful and useful. For those who are not Filipino, I think this story demands critical thinking about the role that Western powers play in enabling human rights crises like Duterte's war on drugs, as well as the need for those abroad to advocate in ways that support the activist efforts in the Philippines.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Colonisation
Minor: Rape and Trafficking
ariam's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Religious bigotry
_forestofpages's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I picked this up just after I found out my last grandparent died and it hit me hard. So, I related to the grief, the sudden news and also not knowing how to feel about it. I related to the family dynamics of Jay's family; feeling alone in your own family, feeling disconnected.
Then there was the guilt Jay felt about Jun. How they had drifted apart and how selfish he felt.
Then we went to the Phillipines and I learned about a culture and the struggles they face that I never knew about.
This book was incredible and though-provoking. I can't wait to pick up Ribay's other novels.
Moderate: Death and Grief
pn__'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Grief, and Abandonment
shelleyreads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Addiction, Racism, Police brutality, and Grief
Minor: Sexual violence and Trafficking