Back to the Basics: #LaslasReads

Puppy Love and Thirteen Short Stories by F. Sionil José

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"How could two very young people get to know the arcane ways of loving, caring? I did not know then what love was but I did know feeling - unexpressed, compulsive - "
-Puppy Love, an excerpt

A collection of stories by the National Artist F. Sionil Jose, he coincided the them of love into his foray of genres - from magical realism, to taboo tales, to Noir-ish takes, and even a shot of a children's story. The red book is romantic but is not cheesy. He weaves the words like a household chore, like washing the dishes - so mundane, yet so extraordinary.

My personal favorites from the collection is the children's story entitled The Molave and The Orchid, where the author wrote this -

"Someday, I will love someone for we are destined to do so."

THAT SIMPLY GAVE THE FEELS AWAY.
Other notable story here is the Waltz, which appealed to female readers (most of the bookish friends gush in this work, remembering the way the two characters danced and talked).

I suggest you read it in random. You never know what story is in store for you. And if you are a guy who doesn't prefer flowers as a gift to a special someone, give a copy of this instead. Introduce her to that children's story. And give the feels away.



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