Release Date - November 1, 2008
My review of this book is a balancing act. As I read the first section of the book—which amounts to half—I found myself very close to putting it down and going on to something else. But I have a hard and fast to rule I do my best to live by: if I start a book, I finish it. I think my rule has something to do with being a writer myself and, therefore, wanting to give another writer, especially one who is publishing his or her first book, every opportunity to win me over. And, in the end Lucia Orth did manage to win me over—at least to a degree.
So, on the one hand there is praise for Ms. Orth’s portrayal of life in the Philippines during what became the beginning of the end for Marcos. The author, according to her web site, lived in Manila for five years while working for a non-profit organization, and her love of the Philippine people and land shows in her excellent ability to juxtapose the brutality of the Marcos regime against the idyllic loveliness of the countryside. She allows the Philippines to blossom beautifully, but also to sweat with humidity and the sudden monsoon rains; we see the filth of masses crammed within the slums, feel the ruthless violence of those the U.S. has chosen to support at all costs—moral as well as monetary—in hopes of remaining in control of strategic armament positions; we cringe at how superstitions are used to direct the course of governments. And, even though if we’ve studied our history books—or happened to have been alive at the time and paying attention—we know the resolution of the foundation of world events upon which Ms. Orth has constructed her plot, we nevertheless find ourselves jumping aboard as we rush toward the conclusion.
Rue Caldwell is the wife of an American spook/diplomat type, Trace, stationed in Manila, though I’m not sure she ever believes the US is on the right side of the Philippine struggle. Doming Aquinaldo, Trace’s driver, is portrayed as a political dissident with a secret identity, but, in actuality, he seems unable to decide whether or not he wants to actively participate in any sort of attempt to harass the Marcos government if that effort might lead to injury or loss of life. I found myself wanting Doming to “put up or shut up” on more than one occasion.
As one might expect, Trace Caldwell shows his wife very little love as he plays the role of macho American, and she and Doming are inevitably drawn toward each other. As Marcos is “democratically” elected and then inaugurated for another term as president, Rue and Doming struggle to find themselves while the country begins to unravel, which is what gives the last half of the book its agreeable measure of conflict and drama.
On the other hand, though, there is the snail’s pace of the first half of the book. Add to that the one-dimensional nature of every character wherein neither the “good guys” nor the “bad guys” ever even hint at wavering. Plus there is the utter predictability of the plot—and here I’m not talking about Marcos or the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, but rather the lovers who must be together. The first criticism, that of the slow pace, to me simply says that the book could have, and should have been shorter. The other faults smack of forgetting the essentials of character and plot development, which is much more important. Without the intrigue created by place, this would have been nothing more than an attempt at Commercial fiction.
All in all, though, I’m not going to recommend this book—as I said, it’s a balancing act. This is Ms. Orth’s first novel, and in that respect, it’s a good effort. Her use of images, setting and language are superb. Hopefully, she has more in her and will continue to utilize her talents while adding to her craftsmanship in the future.
