In the Country: Stories

Gorgeous writing in these short stories, set in the Philippines and/or about Filipinos abroad. They are all slice of life stories that show a larger picture of life for Filipinos, whether in times of military, emotional or relational strife.

The titular story, “In The Country” was incredible, about the years one couple spent as part of an (unofficial?) resistance after the president of the Philippines established martial law in the 1970s and 1980s. Other standout pieces for me include “The Kontrabida,” in which a pharmacist returns to his family home as his father is dying; “The Miracle Worker,” about a teacher who takes on a severely mentally disabled student whose mother just wants to believe the lie that her daughter could someday be a genius. I also really enjoyed the vividness of the landscape and the sense of both humor and foreboding in “A Contract Overseas,” which follows a young woman at university and her brother, who is working as a chauffer abroad in order to send money back for both his sister's education and his pregnant girlfriend.

I'm loving when I can learn things even from fiction right now!