First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

Synopsis:

In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas lives an embittered judge who wants only to retire in peace, when his orphaned granddaughter, Sai, arrives on his doorstep. The judge’s cook watches over her distractedly, for his thoughts are often on his son, Biju, who is hopscotching from one gritty New York restaurant to another. Kiran Desai’s brilliant novel, published to huge acclaim, is a story of joy and despair. Her characters face numerous choices that majestically illuminate the consequences of colonialism as it collides with the modern world.

His Native Coast gives the reader a provocative and moving story of two “pilgrimages,” one ending outside of the seeker’s geographical context, and the other in a return to it: one resulting in a glimpse of self-recognition, the other in what turns out to be a refusal of it.

The novel attempts a definition of personal and national identity that transcends geographical origins, and suggests that whether one is in his home country or not, the belief in his own human usefulness in his context has much to do with forging a healthy sense of belonging.

In these days of heightened self-searching among the western-influenced-developing nations, this Philippine experience offers its own unique insight.

It’s the end of the workweek—yay! I hope the week has been kind to everyone, though the past few weeks have been quite hectic for me. I am still resolving a lot of issues at work. I am basically the only one keeping my unit afloat. I hope we receive a reprieve in the coming weeks. Also, I can’t believe how quickly time flies! We are already in the eighth month of the year. Time takes its natural course, with little regard for us. Nevertheless, I hope the first seven months of the year have been promising. As the year progresses, I hope everyone is given plenty of opportunities to grow and improve. With the weekend finally here, I hope everyone has a great one. It’s time to dress down and spend it resting from the rigors of a demanding career, pursuing your passions, completing household chores, spending time with loved ones, or simply relaxing. It is going to be another damp weekend here in the Philippines. I hope you’re all doing well—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

After four months of exploring European literature, I was finally able to conclude the journey, which I had originally planned to complete in just two months. It was just enough time to finish all the works by European writers in my reading challenges. Ironically, it was these very books that ultimately extended my literary adventure into a four-month journey. With my European literary adventure this year officially complete—the longest I have spent immersed in European literature in a single year—I have commenced a new literary journey. With July being my birth month, I decided to embark on a literary adventure into a territory closer to home: Asian literature. Apart from being part of the region, I have often dedicated July to the works of Japanese writers, as Japanese literature is one of my favorite literary traditions. As always, I have several works of Asian literature on my reading list. It was therefore a foregone conclusion that I would extend this journey into August.

With my insatiable appetite for Japanese literature, I have actually run out of books by Japanese writers—at least those on my bookshelf. Still, a few are waiting to be read, and there are others that I am looking forward to acquiring. I am particularly excited about the news of Haruki Murakami’s latest novel. I am eagerly awaiting its English translation, as it promises to offer a different dimension of Murakami’s prose. My current read, however, takes me beyond Japan to a literary tradition that has been steadily growing on me. Admittedly, my venture into my own literature is rather sparse. I used to be apprehensive about my part of the literary world. It was only in the past decade that I made a concerted effort to venture further into Philippine literature. It has been my goal to read at least two works by Filipino writers annually. This effort to explore Philippine literature more deeply has been paying off. Over the past few years, I have come across names I would not have encountered otherwise. Among them is Edith L. Tiempo and her novel His Native Coast.

His Native Coast is the second novel by a Filipino writer that I have read this year; I previously read Elaine Castillo’s America Is Not the Heart. Apparently, Tiempo was born in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya; her hometown is quite close to mine. I somehow feel a vestige of kinship with her. She was a prolific writer whose oeuvre spanned poetry, short stories, literary criticism, and, of course, novels. She was also recognized as a National Artist for Literature. Among Tiempo’s novels is His Native Coast, a book I acquired out of sheer curiosity. Even though I was not planning to read it this year, I made it part of my ongoing venture into Asian literature. The novel opens in Pagatban, situated in a mountainous forest in Negros. At the heart of the story is Marina Manuel. Marina is the daughter of an Ifugao woman (it is mentioned that she grew up in Lagawe) and a Batangas congressman, both of whom have passed away.

The story begins during the twilight years of the Second World War, specifically in 1944. Before the war, Marina worked as a schoolteacher at Silliman University; Tiempo herself studied at and earned a degree from the same university in Dumaguete. Since the war began, Marina has been with the Pagatban underground resistance movement. With the war approaching its inevitable end, it is time for the resistance movement to make its move and descend to the lowlands. At the same time, American guerrilla forces have been arriving from Australia to reinforce the Philippine resistance movement. Among them is Lieutenant Michael Linder. In the second chapter, the guerrilla command and the U.S. Army run the town of Viñas until the disrupted civil government can take over. Marina and Michael’s fates would inevitably cross. Michael develops a deep affection for Marina and even proposes marriage. While the gesture touches her, Marina ultimately declines his proposal.

With his military assignment over, Michael returns home to the United States. As the old adage goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Back in the United States, Michael tries to readjust. However, his efforts are for naught, as the past constantly haunts him, even after he learns about Marina’s marriage to Paulo Lacambre, the chief chemist at the Santa Rosa Sugar Central, owned by Don Gonzalo de Villa Beruz and his brother, Don Carlos. As fate would have it, almost a decade later, Michael receives an offer to become the personnel manager at the Beruz brothers’ sugar central. Apparently, there are nefarious activities at the sugar mill, and the brothers want Michael to isolate the culprit—or culprits. For Michael, it is an unexpected opportunity that will bring him back to the place where he left his heart.

On the surface, the story is a typical romance, and there is some historical context to it. During the American occupation of the Philippines, American soldiers, popularly referred to as GIs, often made romantic overtures to Filipinas. Stories of Filipinas entering into relationships with GIs are ubiquitous, especially in areas in close proximity to American military camps. Many were eventually abandoned when the soldiers returned home. But there is more to His Native Coast than simply a GI falling in love with a Filipina. As the story unfolds, we learn about the concerns that occupy both characters. Michael’s emotional attachment to Marina is accompanied by an existential quest, one that can be surmised to be a residue of the war. He begins questioning who he is and what his purpose is. As he travels through different Philippine landscapes and encounters people from diverse backgrounds, he develops a profound appreciation for the Philippines and its people.

Marina herself is grappling with her own identity. She received a Western education at an American institution, Silliman University. She has also embraced several aspects of Western culture. However, she remains deeply conscious of her indigenous heritage. Echoes of her mother’s past life in the Cordilleras, particularly in her hometown of Lagawe, continue to shadow Marina. Caught between two worlds, Marina is uncertain about where she truly belongs. She constantly feels the weight of the culture she never fully inherited. I am just a couple of pages away from completing the book. While I find it very interesting, I also find the writing rather dense. Still, I am looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds. I am taking the book with me over the weekend, and I hope to finish it. How about you, fellow reader? What book or books are you taking with you this weekend? I certainly hope you enjoy them. For now, I wish everyone a wonderful, restful weekend!