Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy RibayMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
"It strikes me that I cannot claim this country's serence coves and sun-soaked beaches without also claiming its poverty, its problems, its history. To say that any aspect of it is a part of me is to say that all of it is a part of me."
I can't thank Honey enough for gifting us with an ARC of this book. What a treat!!! Randy Ribay's powerful prose packs so much emotion in simple, easy-to-understand language.. . A winning combination for YA! He makes the familiar unfamiliar, and talks lovingly of both the good and the bad in today's Philippines.
This book is necessary reading because of its subject matter (the EJK's and the drug war) . But also, it's very pleasurable, too, when you have a writer this good. There were moments I laughed out loud, like when he observed how Filipino drivers used honking for echolocation, but towards the end I was just weeping silently as he concluded the story of a Fil-Am's search for the truth behind his Filipino cousin's death and the subsequent cover up.
It is so easy to fall into despair when thinking of the current situation, but Ribay's novel shines light on the way forward, full of hope and love and the belief in the intrinsic goodness of humanity, despite our flaws.
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