Female Junot Diaz? Female Carlos Bulosan?

America Is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After a long and seemingly-lost chapters of eczema and kulam, queer love, small community, questionable harassment, sapakan sa school, salon-and-make-up, barbeque and lutong ulam, multitude of mother tongues and NPA history with chummy-ing Marcos, it gave me an ending that I deserve: open-ended and hopeful.

The family, having dinner together, eating pancit is gold. It may seem mundane to other cultures, boring even, but having a dinner together is an original portrayal of a Family time. And for every Filipino, it matters.

(view spoiler)[ I was supposed to give this book a 2-star rating, but the redeeming point is this final chapter, where everything weaves together. I almost gave up on getting the reading done, after Lynai mentioned that she did not finish the book, haha! (hide spoiler)]

View all my reviews