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A review by ps_stillreading
Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Quezon City, 1997. A pre-teen boy is found dead at a Payatas dump site, his body and face mutilated. He is the latest victim in a string of killings--the victims all boys who come from low-income families, trying to earn a living as scavengers in the dump site.
We follow two Jesuit priests as they provide their services at the request of the National Bureau of Investigation. Father Gus Saenz is a forensic anthropologist and Father Jerome Lucero, his protégé, is a clinical psychologist. Together, they work to find out the identity of the killer in order to bring him to justice.
We have an inadequate investigation --these kids are poor, there isn't enough evidence, the police have come to a dead end. We have power hungry government officials whose only goal is to keep climbing up the political ladder, so they only care about the big flashy cases. We have a hasty and highly publicized arrest, complete with a press conference and congratulations all around, until another dead boy turns up while the supposed perpetrator is in custody.
And through it all, the parents of the dead boys suffer in silence because they don't know where to turn to for help. They have lost faith in the police and in the system that clearly does not work for them.
But Father Saenz and Father Lucero care about these boys whose lives have been violently cut short. They work diligently, despite experiencing friction as "outsiders" to the NBI force. They also employ the help of reporter Joanna Bonifacio, sharing information that ultimately led to solving the case.
The book gives a social commentary on the state of the justice system, on how the poor are often left behind. But it also tackles a different kind of injustice: an abusive priest and the rich and powerful people who protect him. Father Saenz has been building a case against a Father Ramirez, who abuses his young wards at the charitable shelter he runs. But as far as the Church is concerned, the matter has been investigated and the case is closed. Even though several people voiced their concerns, even though victims came forward and made official statements, the Church does nothing.
Father Saenz never gave up. Even though in the end this matter was only resolved when it was revealed that huge sums of money were stolen from the charity. People in power only cared because there was money involved. How typical.
I first read this back when I was about 12 years old, reading the original novella version. I may have been too young for the themes and graphic content in this book, but this was also the age I started watching CSI and Criminal Minds, so crime was a genre I was already interested in anyway. This book opened my eyes to a reality that I was too young to be aware of. Then, and now, I felt frustrated at how the authorities didn't really care about the deaths of these boys. The matter of abuse within the Church shocked and upset me when I was 12, I couldn't believe such as thing was possible. Older me knows better though.
Smaller and Smaller Circles was written in 1996, published in 2002, and expanded into a longer novel in 2015. The book is 20 years old, and it still (unfortunately) feels like an accurate reflection of the Philippine justice and political system and the inequality still prevalent in Philippine society today.
We follow two Jesuit priests as they provide their services at the request of the National Bureau of Investigation. Father Gus Saenz is a forensic anthropologist and Father Jerome Lucero, his protégé, is a clinical psychologist. Together, they work to find out the identity of the killer in order to bring him to justice.
We have an inadequate investigation --these kids are poor, there isn't enough evidence, the police have come to a dead end. We have power hungry government officials whose only goal is to keep climbing up the political ladder, so they only care about the big flashy cases. We have a hasty and highly publicized arrest, complete with a press conference and congratulations all around, until another dead boy turns up while the supposed perpetrator is in custody.
And through it all, the parents of the dead boys suffer in silence because they don't know where to turn to for help. They have lost faith in the police and in the system that clearly does not work for them.
But Father Saenz and Father Lucero care about these boys whose lives have been violently cut short. They work diligently, despite experiencing friction as "outsiders" to the NBI force. They also employ the help of reporter Joanna Bonifacio, sharing information that ultimately led to solving the case.
The book gives a social commentary on the state of the justice system, on how the poor are often left behind. But it also tackles a different kind of injustice: an abusive priest and the rich and powerful people who protect him. Father Saenz has been building a case against a Father Ramirez, who abuses his young wards at the charitable shelter he runs. But as far as the Church is concerned, the matter has been investigated and the case is closed. Even though several people voiced their concerns, even though victims came forward and made official statements, the Church does nothing.
Father Saenz never gave up. Even though in the end this matter was only resolved when it was revealed that huge sums of money were stolen from the charity. People in power only cared because there was money involved. How typical.
I first read this back when I was about 12 years old, reading the original novella version. I may have been too young for the themes and graphic content in this book, but this was also the age I started watching CSI and Criminal Minds, so crime was a genre I was already interested in anyway. This book opened my eyes to a reality that I was too young to be aware of. Then, and now, I felt frustrated at how the authorities didn't really care about the deaths of these boys. The matter of abuse within the Church shocked and upset me when I was 12, I couldn't believe such as thing was possible. Older me knows better though.
Smaller and Smaller Circles was written in 1996, published in 2002, and expanded into a longer novel in 2015. The book is 20 years old, and it still (unfortunately) feels like an accurate reflection of the Philippine justice and political system and the inequality still prevalent in Philippine society today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder