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THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT BINO
...which i can't tell, neither can I point, neither can I explain. It's the voice of the rising Pinoy, he is a brave risk-taker, understanding and persistent. He isn't stopping... No. 2 Bestseller in the Philippines! Reviews of THE UMBRELLA COUNTRY by Bino A. Realuyo in the U.S. and
the Philippines "Bino A. Realuyo proves that the telling of a novelist's heart and
country is contained in the smallest movement of moments. Word upon
lyrical word, his novel is beauty that dwells like a beloved's
lingering ache, a beloved's familiar voice." "A lyrical first novel limns a troubled coming-of-age in 1970s
Manila, where deviance and difference are punished by silence or
brutality...An evocative and subtly different take on the loss of
innocence. A PROMISING DEBUT." "Heartbreaking . . . Poet Realuyo assembles a powerful array of
characters for this coming of age novel." "A wrenching first novel filled with the sights, sounds and smells of
Manila under martial law." "Realuyo's lucid prose, unecumbered by sentimentality or hindsight,
lends freshness to the conflicts of his somewhat familiar characters and
color to a setting both impoverished and alluring." "Realuyo's prose is vivid and fluid, often impressive in its
attention to poetic detail. This street feels real, thus feeling both
right and wrong at the same time. We know these characters, have heard
some of these stories. But even as these are familiar locations,
Realuyo gathers them in a moving, insightful tale of a Philippines
within the Philippines. That we know these stories are true only adds
to the power of Realuyo's telling. It's a memorable, satisfying read in
any weather. But, in this country where the weather still blows dark
and then suddenly clear, "The Umbrella Country" seems as delightfully
familiar--and as emotionally pungent--as the scent of sampaloc in the
wet wind." "This is a dangerous book because it reveals the Filipino soul,
tortured, tormented by poverty . . . Everything in this book has the
sting of reality. The images are stunning but true. The smells are so
strong they assault the reader. The people are familiar characters we
have met in the comings and goings, ups and downs of our city lives:
They may be stereotypes and archetypes, but you know them all, they were
part of each of our past and they're still very much around, 30 years
after Gringo's recollection." "And boy, how this boy-writer of the prodigious racial memory CAN
write, CAN limn his prose with the quietly lyrical line as wise as its
efficacious . . . This novel is rich in portents as well as hopes
despites all the gut-wrenching episodes; there is ever a tenderness that
transcends the poverty, the city, the humor and tragedy, and all the
eyes 'constantly judging everything they saw' . . . Thanks, Bino. Page
after page, it is beautifully your song, our song. The Umbrella Country
is a splendid book. Quite honestly, it's the most moving novel I've
read in years." |
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Volume 1 |
Alex Maskara |
