A review by noskills
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Reflecting on reporting on Palestine, writer Nathan Thrall recalls a colleague feeling “so sick of having to perform tragedies in order to be humanized.” The sentiment is familiar to many oppressed groups in the United States, but also to those around the world. Patron is the story of an American teen confronting this tension as he uncovers his familial roots.

Filipino-American Jay is in a disaffected malaise as he heads towards the end of his senior year in high school, but the unexpected death of his cousin Jun jolts him awake and drives him back to the Philippines to uncover what really happened. The story is broadly about Jay and his family’s grief, but to process this the teen must embrace both the rich connection of being a descendent of this land, as well as accept the complicity of being an American in a space colonized by the United States. Grief and cub journalism make this homecoming a deep dive with an ending well worth the ride.
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