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The Woman Who Had Two Navels
This book is a fictional story of a Filipina woman who believes she has two navels. It is widely considered as a classic in Philippine literature. It is divided into 5 chapters: Paco, Macho, La Vidal, The Chinese Moon, and Doctor Monson.
This is a novel, not be confused with the short story collection of the same name.
This is a novel, not be confused with the short story collection of the same name.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
About the author
Nick Joaquín
79 books398 followersNicomedes Márquez Joaquín (1917–2004) was a Filipino writer and journalist best known for his short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila. In 1976, Joaquin was conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature. He has been considered one of the most important Filipino writers, along with José Rizal and Claro M. Recto. Unlike Rizal and Recto, whose works were written in Spanish, Joaquin's major works were written in English despite being a native Spanish speaker.
Before becoming one of the leading practitioners of Philippine literature in English, he was a seminarian in Hong Kong – who later realized that he could better serve God and humanity by being a writer. This is reflected in the content and style of his works, as he emphasizes the need to restore national consciousness through important elements of Catholic Spanish Heritage.
In his self-confessed mission as a writer, he is a sort of "cultural apostle" whose purpose is to revive interest in Philippine national life through literature – and provide the necessary drive and inspiration for a fuller comprehension of their cultural background. His awareness of the significance of the past to the present is part of a concerted effort to preserve the spiritual tradition and the orthodox faith of the Catholic past – which he perceives as the only solution to our modern ills.
Before becoming one of the leading practitioners of Philippine literature in English, he was a seminarian in Hong Kong – who later realized that he could better serve God and humanity by being a writer. This is reflected in the content and style of his works, as he emphasizes the need to restore national consciousness through important elements of Catholic Spanish Heritage.
In his self-confessed mission as a writer, he is a sort of "cultural apostle" whose purpose is to revive interest in Philippine national life through literature – and provide the necessary drive and inspiration for a fuller comprehension of their cultural background. His awareness of the significance of the past to the present is part of a concerted effort to preserve the spiritual tradition and the orthodox faith of the Catholic past – which he perceives as the only solution to our modern ills.
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July 8, 2011
”The identity of a Filipino today is of a person asking what is his identity.”
- Nick Joaquin
When I bought this book a couple of months ago, I immediately skimmed the first two pages. I did think that this was a book about a female character with anatomical deformity and the book was about what caused the deformity and what should be done to correct it. I thought that this book would make me endlessly laugh.
Having formed that ridiculous image in my mind, I set this book aside. There were and there still are so many books by foreign authors that beckon on me. Also, just like most Filipinos, I always thought that foreign books were far better than local ones even those by our local literary greats.
On many counts, I was awfully wrong. First, this novel has nothing to do with the study of medicine, anthropology or anatomy. It is a novel that every Filipino should be proud of. It is a novel written by a Filipino about Filipinos and for the Filipinos. However, it does not preach. It does not self-deprecate. It does not promote self-interest nor does it encourage us Filipinos to hate ourselves and wish that we were of different nationalities. This novel is part of who we are as it shows a pivotal part in our nation’s history and how our race was formed or came into being by getting sustenance from two colonizers, akin to two navels: those of Mother Spain’s and Mother USA’s. The two countries that greatly influenced our nation’s psyche and will forever be part of who we are as an Asian race.
But I was right too. It made me endless laugh. But not for the thought of a person having two navels. I laughed endlessly albeit silently as I grieved about having to realize how much I’ve been missing while I prioritize foreign authors in my book choices. I also shamelessly laughed realizing how distorted asking myself who we are as a raceour culture is and we just couldn’t do anything about it.
Nicomedes “Onching”, today just “Nick” Joaquin (1917-2004) was awarded the National Artist for Literature trophy in 1976. This award is the highest national recognition given to Filipino artists who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts and to the cultural heritages of the country. He was said to be the Greatest Filipino writer of the 20th century and third to Rizal and Recto as the greatest Filipino writer ever. He was #1 in Filipino writers list in English. Dr. Alejandro Roces compared him to William Faulkner. His Portrait of the Artist as Filipino is said to be the most important Filipino play in English. Before his death due to cardiac arrest in 2004, he was a friend and the biographer of the former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. After his death, this bookworm with a gift of total recall, expressed his wish of donating the 3,000 books from his personal library to University of Santo Thomas. He did not marry.
Without providing too many spoilers, the story is about a Connie Escobar who claims to have two navels. She discloses this to a Filipino doctor, Pepe Monson who is one (the other being the priest Father Tony) of the two sons of a former rich Filipino businessman who is hiding in Hong Kong to avoid postwar trials of post war independence. Connie is in Hong Kong apparently to chase a band player Paco Texiera even if she is already married to Macho Escobar. However, Connie says that she left the Philippines to run away from her husband because he is having an affair with her mother Senora de Vidal.
The novel’s theme of pressure of the past upon the present is similar to G. G. Marquez’ One Hundred Years of Solitude although Joaquin did not cover as many generations as Marquez did. In fact, Connie has only the relationship between her husband and mother as the immediate past that greatly affect her present. However, the symbolisms are clear. Connie suffers due to the strong influence of her mother when she was growing up (with the incident about the dolls as the image that got etched in my mind) and the indiscretions the mother did in having extra-marital affairs. All these while the supposedly the strong patriarch Don Manolo Vidal was busy protecting his business and his political turfs. Don Vidal can be likened to the Filipino businessmen who sided to whoever was in power during the Spanish and American occupations just to protect their interest while overlooking the interest of the many poor peasants (symbolized by Connie Escobar).
This is not an easy read though. Joaquin’s narrative is confusing especially in the first 50 pages of the book due to mixed points of view and multiple flows of thoughts in just one paragraph. I worked for two years in Hong Kong and I thought it would have been more interesting if Joaquin took time to describe his milieu for imagery impact. He also did not resort to using local languages or phrases, e.g., Chinese nor in Filipino, to give authenticity to the spoken dialogues. Lastly, I did not notice any effort to give distinct and recognizable voices at least to the main characters. All the voices seem to be coming from the same person.
However, the plot is brilliant. My first time to read a local book with Hong Kong and Philippines as settings. Prior to this, I thought that the post-war (WWII) era has been that part of Philippine history that seems to be “untouched” by fictional writers. This was due to the fact that many literary works mainly focused on the time when the WWII was on-going. Joaquin’s use of his characters to symbolize the bigger scope – the Philippines as it is trying to rise from the ashes – is astounding and the impact is comparable to the intent that Dr. Jose Rizal probably had when he was writing his Noli and Fili.
I will be reading Joaquin’s Cave and Shadows and Tropical Gothic next to know more about the man.
When I bought this book a couple of months ago, I immediately skimmed the first two pages. I did think that this was a book about a female character with anatomical deformity and the book was about what caused the deformity and what should be done to correct it. I thought that this book would make me endlessly laugh.
Having formed that ridiculous image in my mind, I set this book aside. There were and there still are so many books by foreign authors that beckon on me. Also, just like most Filipinos, I always thought that foreign books were far better than local ones even those by our local literary greats.
On many counts, I was awfully wrong. First, this novel has nothing to do with the study of medicine, anthropology or anatomy. It is a novel that every Filipino should be proud of. It is a novel written by a Filipino about Filipinos and for the Filipinos. However, it does not preach. It does not self-deprecate. It does not promote self-interest nor does it encourage us Filipinos to hate ourselves and wish that we were of different nationalities. This novel is part of who we are as it shows a pivotal part in our nation’s history and how our race was formed or came into being by getting sustenance from two colonizers, akin to two navels: those of Mother Spain’s and Mother USA’s. The two countries that greatly influenced our nation’s psyche and will forever be part of who we are as an Asian race.
But I was right too. It made me endless laugh. But not for the thought of a person having two navels. I laughed endlessly albeit silently as I grieved about having to realize how much I’ve been missing while I prioritize foreign authors in my book choices. I also shamelessly laughed realizing how distorted asking myself who we are as a raceour culture is and we just couldn’t do anything about it.
Nicomedes “Onching”, today just “Nick” Joaquin (1917-2004) was awarded the National Artist for Literature trophy in 1976. This award is the highest national recognition given to Filipino artists who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts and to the cultural heritages of the country. He was said to be the Greatest Filipino writer of the 20th century and third to Rizal and Recto as the greatest Filipino writer ever. He was #1 in Filipino writers list in English. Dr. Alejandro Roces compared him to William Faulkner. His Portrait of the Artist as Filipino is said to be the most important Filipino play in English. Before his death due to cardiac arrest in 2004, he was a friend and the biographer of the former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. After his death, this bookworm with a gift of total recall, expressed his wish of donating the 3,000 books from his personal library to University of Santo Thomas. He did not marry.
Without providing too many spoilers, the story is about a Connie Escobar who claims to have two navels. She discloses this to a Filipino doctor, Pepe Monson who is one (the other being the priest Father Tony) of the two sons of a former rich Filipino businessman who is hiding in Hong Kong to avoid postwar trials of post war independence. Connie is in Hong Kong apparently to chase a band player Paco Texiera even if she is already married to Macho Escobar. However, Connie says that she left the Philippines to run away from her husband because he is having an affair with her mother Senora de Vidal.
The novel’s theme of pressure of the past upon the present is similar to G. G. Marquez’ One Hundred Years of Solitude although Joaquin did not cover as many generations as Marquez did. In fact, Connie has only the relationship between her husband and mother as the immediate past that greatly affect her present. However, the symbolisms are clear. Connie suffers due to the strong influence of her mother when she was growing up (with the incident about the dolls as the image that got etched in my mind) and the indiscretions the mother did in having extra-marital affairs. All these while the supposedly the strong patriarch Don Manolo Vidal was busy protecting his business and his political turfs. Don Vidal can be likened to the Filipino businessmen who sided to whoever was in power during the Spanish and American occupations just to protect their interest while overlooking the interest of the many poor peasants (symbolized by Connie Escobar).
This is not an easy read though. Joaquin’s narrative is confusing especially in the first 50 pages of the book due to mixed points of view and multiple flows of thoughts in just one paragraph. I worked for two years in Hong Kong and I thought it would have been more interesting if Joaquin took time to describe his milieu for imagery impact. He also did not resort to using local languages or phrases, e.g., Chinese nor in Filipino, to give authenticity to the spoken dialogues. Lastly, I did not notice any effort to give distinct and recognizable voices at least to the main characters. All the voices seem to be coming from the same person.
However, the plot is brilliant. My first time to read a local book with Hong Kong and Philippines as settings. Prior to this, I thought that the post-war (WWII) era has been that part of Philippine history that seems to be “untouched” by fictional writers. This was due to the fact that many literary works mainly focused on the time when the WWII was on-going. Joaquin’s use of his characters to symbolize the bigger scope – the Philippines as it is trying to rise from the ashes – is astounding and the impact is comparable to the intent that Dr. Jose Rizal probably had when he was writing his Noli and Fili.
I will be reading Joaquin’s Cave and Shadows and Tropical Gothic next to know more about the man.
August 27, 2011
Past Engagements
(A Book Review of Nick Joaquin’s The Woman Who Had Two Navels)
In 1955, Nick Joaquin left the Philippines on a Rockefeller creative writing grant taking him to countries such as Spain, the United States, and Mexico. This two-year sojourn gave birth to his first novel inspired by an earlier, shorter work, The Woman Who Had Two Navels, published in 1961 having won the very first Harry Stonehill award.
A historic novel now considered a seminal work in Philippine Literature, it revolves on the lives of Filipino emigrants living in Hong Kong centering on the story of Connie Escobar, a woman who indulges and deludes herself as having two belly buttons/navels so as to set herself apart and seen as somehow special by others. She confers this secret to Doctor Pepe Monson, a horse veterinarian, son of a former Filipino businessman and revolutionary in self-imposed exile terrified to deal with the trials of post war independence. As the book progresses we meet these characters at muted wars with themselves and, as if serving like a mirror reflecting Joaquin’s experiences prior his travels and composition of the novel, it portrays their struggle to keep their identity amidst different cultural point of views.
I’m sure this novel’s odd title, the point of inquiry and fascination of anyone who had either merely read it on the front cover or read the book through, is what excites anyone’s curiosity: how can someone have two navels and what are the reasons concerning it? Is it because of an anatomical or genetic anomaly here unto now unheard of? Or it is an outright lie from someone’s disjointed view of reality? In a stroke I will call nothing short of brilliant, Joaquin paints an efficient literary device, a catalyst from which to springboard questions pertaining to nationalism amidst the heavy influence and heritage of past colonial masters, society’s collapse wrought by past wars, and the Filipino identity as it basks in its new-found freedom.
Aside from the occasional critical essays I’ve encountered (I still particularly recall his colorful essay about Nora Aunor which I read ages ago in our college’s Introduction to Film subject), it’s like encountering an all too different Nick Joaquin in the pages of this novel. Getting into the novel requires a huge amount of comprehension and perception in the part of the reader, and in no pretension whatsoever, it is truly a difficult read, I lumbered through the first part myself. Yet carried on I did and I’m quite delighted by the pay off. If I’m ever qualified to make suggestions as how to read the book, I say take it in stride, like a leisurely walk on the battlements of Intramuros paying the utmost attention to the cobbled stones you walk upon, the brick work of the structure, the sun that illuminates the place with an unfathomable wonder and the location’s sense of history. Joaquin’s prose is intricate, at times profoundly confusing and has this surreal quality as if entering upon a dream at once overwhelms and likewise gratifies in ways that words can’t quite express; with eloquently beautiful scenes, imagery and flashbacks similar to viewing sepia-tinted pictures, it makes reader wax poetic about the past, of a Philippines in its youthful glow in its erstwhile glory during a time when the epithet The Pearl of the Orient rings true.
The Woman Who Had Two Navels is a many-layered, chaotic and less-than-prefect novel that taunts out universal paradoxes of truth and falsehood, illusion and reality, past and present by paralleling it to the characters and reader’s inner turmoil and puts it in the context of the Filipino’s search for identity. In Nick Joaquin’s view, we must look at the past with the consciousness need of engaging the present world in its own terms.
_________________________
Book Details: Book #30 for 2011
Published by Bookmark Inc.
(Paperback, 1991 Edition)
336 pages
Started: July 26, 2011
Finished: August, 2011
My Rating: ★★★★
[See this review on my book blog Dark Chest of Wonders and for many others.]
January 17, 2016
Over damp Hong Kong the day dawned drizzling, astonishing with sunshine the first passengers huddled inside the ferries, luring them out on deck to spread cold fingers in the blond air and to smile excitedly (that night was full moon of the Chinese New Year) at the great rock city coming up across the black water, rising so fat and spongy in the splashing light the waterfront's belt of buildings looked like a cake, with alleys cutting deep into the icing and hordes of rickshaws vanishing like ants between the slices.
The postwar Hong Kong setting of Nick Joaquín's first novel was significant in at least one respect. It highlighted the exiled condition of its Filipino characters, exile of the physical and spiritual kind. The Monson family—the elder Doctor Monson and his sons Doctor Pepe Monson and Father Tony Monson—had been living in Hong Kong for the better part or the whole of their lives. The elder Monson was veteran of the turn of the century wars against Spanish and American colonial armies. It was also to Hong Kong where General Emilio Aguinaldo (first president of the Philippine Republic), whose image adorned the younger doctor's clinic, went into a short-lived voluntary exile after a political settlement with the Spanish government. It had been Monson's dream to come back to the country only when "it was a free country again", which he finally did after the second world war. What he had seen when he came back to Manila, however, had so disappointed him it dashed the idyllic images of the country he harbored in his mind.
Also fleeing to Hong Kong was Connie Escobar, the woman who thought she has two navels. Whereas the elder Monson was haunted by the specter of the past and the shame of discovering its impermanence, a different kind of shame, anatomical in nature, was haunting Connie Escobar. She ran away from Manila, presumably to flee her husband and to seek out Doctor Pepe Monson. She wanted to undergo an operation, "something surgical", that would remove one of the two orifices that supposedly peered from her belly like eyes. Her complaint may be psychological yet it clearly had something metaphorical about it. It seemed like a product of her sensitivity and a trauma from childhood, a projection of her repressed anxieties. The same physical deformity marked a "defaced" statue of the Biliken, a "toy" grudgingly given to her by her parents when she was a child. Although meant as a good luck charm, owing to its perpetually smiling face, there was something sinister associated with the Biliken in the novel—"an old fat god, with sagging udders, bald and huge-eared and squatting like a buddha; and the sly look in its eyes was repeated by the two navels that winked from its gross belly".
Billiken statue
Connie's "imagined" condition could also be caused by emotional rebellion. She felt betrayed by her husband (Macho Escobar) and mother (Concha Vidal) when she learned that they were former lovers. She was so affected by this that it may have triggered a kind of internal division in her, a branching of consciousness that manifested itself on her body. Those around her, those she told of it, denied the possible existence of an extra navel, almost taking her for a madwoman. The symbol of the two navels, the aberration it signifies, was so rich with implications that unraveling it almost made for a mystery story, although to call the novel a horror story was not farfetched either.
Another character seemingly in search of direction was Paco Texeira, a married band vocalist living in Hong Kong. Paco, a Filipino-Portuguese, went to work for a while in Manila's entertainment clubs and became entangled with Concha Vidal (La Vidal), Connie's mother. He became her constant escort, accompanying her in various parties and functions. Paco also got involved with Connie but he had to flee the two women as he detected a kind of evil force around them.
"They're both agents of the devil—she and her mother. They work as a team: the mother catches you and plays with you until you're a bloody rag; then she feeds you over to her daughter.... They work for each other. Whenever I was with one of them I could feel the other watching greedily. They share each other's pleasure, watching you twitch. And when they've screwed you up to the breaking point the daughter springs her abominable revelation [of having two navels]—and you go mad and run amuck. And there's one more soul that's damned."
Connie's mother was also in Hong Kong, presumably on business. The two women were actually pursuing Paco. To add to the complication, Macho Escobar arrived looking for his wife. These characters were all exiles of a spiritual kind, imprisoned by their desires and baffled by their pride.
Connie's characterization, with her unstable mental condition, was already a far cry from that of Maria Clara in José Rizal's nationalist novel Noli Me Tangere (1887). The latter had always been seen as the representation of the ideal Filipina and symbol of the 'motherland'. Maria Clara turned out to be an illegitimate child of a villainous Spanish priest (Padre Damaso), a secret which when she discovered brought her unimaginable shame. The source of Connie's shame, for her part, was seeing her own self as a freak of nature.
An obvious meaning of the two navels was Connie's inheritance of a dual identity, her being a child of two worlds, of Spanish and American cultures. Her cultural environment, wracked by a recent war, created in her soul a kind of hybrid self. It may be too transparent a metaphor: the Filipino identity being frayed twice by conquistadors during bloody conflicts and colonial administrations, native culture hostage to two cultural axes. Punctuating these cultural crises were the major wars (the Philippine Revolution against Spain, the Philippine-American War, and World War II against the Japanese) which left destruction in their wakes: the savaging of lives, landscapes, and, again, identities.
This transparent reading of the Joaquín's inquiry into Filipino identity was complicated by the clash of the male and female. The dramatic battle of the sexes that figured in the novelist's other works of fiction was here played out in its full barbaric sensuality. And Joaquín being Joaquín, the writing was a celebration of existence. His sentences were acute expressions of beauty, horror, and vitality.
From the ramparts where the Spaniards had watched for Chinese pirate and English buccaneer, the younger taller city beyond the walls seemed rimmed with flame, belted with fire, cupped in a conflagration, for a wind was sweeping the avenue of flametrees below, and the massed treetops, crimson in the hot light, moved in the wind like a track of fire, the red flowers falling so thickly like coals the street itself seemed to be burning.
The prose was rich with color and details; reading it sometimes felt like watching a fashion show. The Vidal mother and daughter strutted their clothes, hats, pearls, and furs like ramp models. Even the description of postwar destruction had a surreal energy about it.
Macho had suddenly packed up one day and flown off to Manila; not really caring to see the city again or anyone there; not really moved when he saw it, flat and spiky, its bared ribs and twisted limbs a graph of pain in the air; not really astonished even by its vivacity—traffic brimming between the banks of rubble; daylong blocklong queues at the movie houses; the ruins noisy with night clubs; and, on his third night there, like a nightmare's climax, a glittering fashion show in the bullet-pocked ballroom of a gutted hotel, where Macho, turning away from the sequins and diamonds, the shattered ceiling and the bloodstained floor, had so abruptly come face to face with Concha Vidal ...[H]e had suddenly and sharply and exultantly known, with the old ache in the marrow and a blaze of flametrees in the mind, that he had never stopped wanting, he had never stopped desiring this woman.
The imagery that lighted the novel's hallways was determined by poetry. But it was a fixed form poetry, as the repetitions of details were deliberate, creating the patterning effect of an elaborate tapestry. The symmetric structure of repetition was like that of a villanelle's, with the images repeated like a refrain after several lines.
Consider a flashback scene near the novel's end, in the final chapter titled "DOCTOR MONSON". (The penultimate chapter was called "THE CHINESE MOON"; the double letter "O" in these titles almost concretized the presence of the two navels).
Behind him now, like smoky flames in the noon sun, the whole beautiful beloved city, the city that he guarded even now, here on this mountain pass, and for which he had come so far away to die—to the edge of the land, into the wilderness, up the cold soggy mountains of the north—and he told himself that, finally, one discovered that one had been fighting, not for a flag or a people, but for just one town, one street, one house; for the sound of a canal in the morning, the look of some roofs in the noon sun, and the fragrance of a certain evening flower.
He told himself that, finally, one found oneself willing to die, not for a great public future, but a small private past; and he picked up his pistol, having finished eating, and crawled back to the cliff's edge.
The elder Monson was here on his deathbed dreaming retrospectively of his participation as a young fighter in the decisive battle in the mountain of Tirad Pass, the last stand of Filipino fighters against Americans. It was an inspired juxtaposition of his imagined death years ago in the battlefield with that of his actual dying in old age. The same images were repeated later in the novel, a kind of closure for the old man as he finally defined his once conflicted nationalism.
Opening his eyes he saw, not the stars or pine branches, but the canopy of a bed and the faces of his two sons hovering over him; seeing suddenly in their faces all the years of foreign wandering, the years of exile, but knowing suddenly now that the exile had, after all, been more than a vain gesture, that his task had not ended with that other death in the pinewoods, that he had stood on guard, all these years, as on the mountain pass, while something precious was carried to safety. For there it was now in the faces of his sons—the mountain pass, and the pinewoods, and the shapes of the men who had died there. There it was now in their faces—the Revolution and the Republic, and that small private past for which he had come so far away to die. It had not been lost ... [T]here was no need to cross the sea to find it. Here it was before him (and he strove to rise to salute it) in the faces of his sons. He had saved it and it was now in the present, and the hovering faces brightened and blurred about him, became the sound of a canal in the morning, the look of some roofs in the noon sun, and the fragrance of a certain evening flower. Here he was, home at last ... and before him, like smoky flames in the sunset, the whole beautiful beloved city.
Nationalism was here depicted as a homage to one's "small private past" and testified by Monson's two sons who will carry on after his death, even if they remains as exiles in Hong Kong. (Contrast the same battle of Tirad Pass in the closing scene of F. Sionil José's nationalist novel Dusk wherein nationalism was proffered as an inborn "duty".) This scene was a form of making peace with the past, the kind of closure that eluded Connie Escobar. In one of her imagined death scenes, she was arguing with her father, Manolo Vidal, about acceptance and letting go of the past. Her father's advice hinted at looking back at their lives with a critical eye, repairing the generational break, the severed connections:
"If you must go down, go down raging. Do not lose that ability, like I did. Take things hard, make a fuss, and refuse to accept what we are—no not even now. Rage, rage against us—even now!"
The reference here was to the poem by Dylan Thomas, with "Do not lose that ability" paralleling "Do not go gentle into that good night". The poem was in fact a villanelle constantly echoing the famous passage about raging against darkness and stagnant death.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
...
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
The poem's subject was the poet's dying father. Joaquín's paraphrase was relevant as the poem's theme contextualized his discourse on memory and nationalism. In addition to the borrowing of novelistic structure of repetition, it anticipated the death scene of old doctor Monson and illuminated the meaning of Connie's (four) death scenes. Four times, the poet urged his father about why he must rage against the dying light, must not go gently with the good night. In the particular hallucinatory scene in the novel, the roles were reversed. Connie was with her father on an airplane ("there on the sad height", as in the poem; atop Mount Tirad as in the case of old Monson). Manolo was appealing to her to finally face the specter haunting her and embrace her destiny, her identity, whatever she may have thought of it. Present reality check as key to affirming life, to attaining rebirth and regeneration.
In The Woman Who Had Two Navels, as with his only other novel (Cave and Shadows) which appeared more than 20 years later, Joaquín abstracted his ideas on memory and identity and played the devil's advocate on the subject of nationalism. He was ever the sly novelist and consummate prose writer.
December 10, 2015
Nick Joaquin is known for his highly symbolic prose. This novel is no exception.
July 8, 2017
After glossing through hundreds of glowing four-to-five star ratings and insightful theme analyses of The Woman With Two Navels, you may be led to believe that I too will conduct this review in an appropriate, almost distant manner, praising Joaquin for such a glorious masterpiece.
You have been sorely mistaken.
There will be no detached observations. There will be no compulsory censoring. I will rant. I will spoil. It will be messy. If you take exception to this, then find another reviewer, because I cannot politely contain the fury of my emotions or thoughts this book has provoked. Classic or not, nothing can change my opinion that The Woman Who Had Two Navels, while not a waste of my time, was one of the worst novellas I ever had to sit through.
The two-naveled woman in question is Connie Escobar, a spoiled, selfish, and delusional Filipina who travels to Hong Kong in search of a treatment for her condition from a horse doctor. Yes, a horse doctor. For a condition which may not actually exist since she refuses to show her deformity to anyone who asks. Note that there is a moment when Connie relents, much later in the book, but the author thought it would be more meaningful or some shit to fade-to-black at the last possible moment, since it shouldn't fucking matter whether she actually has two navels or not, and the title is supposed to double as a fucking metaphor.
Now I digress. Her visit sparks a chain reaction, one that effects everyone from her family to a group of childhood friends that she's never met. Each of their lives will never be the same, and they'll be forced to face the actions of the past, present, and future, regardless of whether these actions were, are, or will be theirs to make.
After Connie grows up and experiences a few blissful months of marriage with Macho, she finds a stack of letters in the back of his closet. Although they're old, written before she was even born, they contain every excruciating detail of her husband and her mother's past relationship, something they'd kept secret for a very good reason. Upset by this shocking revelation, she runs away to Hong Kong while struggling to gain the courage to face her problems head-on.
The unfortunate victims of the Vidal family's shenanigans are a tight-knit circle of friends who grew up away from their heritage and the country it came from. There's Rita, the likeable, sympathetic leader of their group that pulls all the stops to keep them together; Paco, a poor musician who blames Connie for his unhealthy obsession with her when really, he's just a cheating, victim-blaming scumbag and unforgivable almost-rapist; Mary, the unfortunate wife to said scumbag who doesn't grab her kids and leave Paco's ass the moment he tells her of his escapades in the Philippines; and Pepe, a... blank sheet that really only serves to ask Connie questions and inadvertently draw her closer to mess up their lives even further. Following behind is his father Doctor Monson, a demented old man who seeks to go back to the good ol' days by becoming a druggie, and his brother Father Tony, a priest who begins to question if he's cut out for his line of work.
Together, they will unrealistically think and speak in strange riddles and analogies, rife with hidden meanings, as they will, without reason, help this one suicidal stranger, who will effectively ruin the lives of each and every one of them to obtain her happy ending without so much as a proper apology. Forget if it might be temporary, necessary, or done unintentionally. That's fucked up.
On a matter of personal taste, I have a few more complaints. The last fifty pages were utter crap. Everyone had a chance to be redeemed in my eyes, but any sliver of hope—and I mean for every single character—was kicked to the curb after I crossed that final lap. I was ecstatic Concha was killed—tbh there was a chapter or two where I thought she was great but damn, girl—yet did Macho have to die too? They were apart of the past and so needed to be left behind, but I wanted Macho and Connie to ride off into the sunset, especially after Macho confesses that he had grown to love his little wife and forgotten all about her mother, which he'd only realized until that moment. And what the fuck was up with Connie and Doctor Monson having some dipshit, meaningful conversation in his final moments? It's past meets future, I know that too! Yet I felt like the honor of his last words shouldn't have been randomly bestowed on our pathetic excuse for a protagonist.
But despite its glaring faults, I couldn't put it down. Like a bystander drawn to the sight of a trainwreck, I couldn't tear my eyes until I reached the last page. I felt a burning hatred for every single character and every one of their stupid actions but still, I couldn't, which leaves me to my next point.
I could label this as a godawful book and leave it at that. But oh no. My feelings, much like this book, are much more complex. (See! I can do this too, Father Tony. You self-righteous piece of shit.) As a work of commentary regarding the Philippine identity and society, it does a brilliant job. I admit, I will give credit where credit is due. As an enjoyable work of fiction... no. Just no. Joaquin focuses too much on getting a point across than writing a story. Which would be fine, since he probably meant for it to be that way, but I wish he could have managed to have balanced both of these elements, so that the reader could be satisfied in the message and the ultimate fate of the cast.
Perhaps their lives needed to be changed. Perhaps Connie needed to go to a veterinarian instead of the psychiatrist she so obviously needs. Perhaps Connie needed to take that idiotic confrontation with Doctor Monson on his deathbed. Perhaps Connie needed to take that *coughs* unconventional step of courage. Perhaps Mary needed for her husband to be stolen away and left with a gaggle of kids to "find herself". Perhaps Paco shouldn't have gotten his comeuppance. Perhaps Macho needed to shoot Concha and himself in the fucking head instead of Connie starting over with him and living happily ever after. But this does not make me hate these choices any less, and this doesn't make any of these characters less of a dumbass for doing what needed to be done. I end this review with one big fat middle finger to all of them.
one-and-a-half stars
You have been sorely mistaken.
There will be no detached observations. There will be no compulsory censoring. I will rant. I will spoil. It will be messy. If you take exception to this, then find another reviewer, because I cannot politely contain the fury of my emotions or thoughts this book has provoked. Classic or not, nothing can change my opinion that The Woman Who Had Two Navels, while not a waste of my time, was one of the worst novellas I ever had to sit through.
The two-naveled woman in question is Connie Escobar, a spoiled, selfish, and delusional Filipina who travels to Hong Kong in search of a treatment for her condition from a horse doctor. Yes, a horse doctor. For a condition which may not actually exist since she refuses to show her deformity to anyone who asks. Note that there is a moment when Connie relents, much later in the book, but the author thought it would be more meaningful or some shit to fade-to-black at the last possible moment, since it shouldn't fucking matter whether she actually has two navels or not, and the title is supposed to double as a fucking metaphor.
Now I digress. Her visit sparks a chain reaction, one that effects everyone from her family to a group of childhood friends that she's never met. Each of their lives will never be the same, and they'll be forced to face the actions of the past, present, and future, regardless of whether these actions were, are, or will be theirs to make.
If you beget a monster of a child it could prove you were rather monstrous yourself.But the story truly begins with Concha Vidal, Connie's flighty mother who's experienced much heartbreak and disillusion throughout each era she experiences. In one of them, she encounters Macho, a younger man who shares her thrill-seeking ways and eventually becomes someone she grows to love. Unfortunately, she's married and he's, well, young. Although her latest husband is one of necessity and they've come to an understanding, Macho and Concha's relationship is frowned upon by society and is the subject of much ridicule among their peers. Concha, not wanting to destroy the boy's life, leaves the country, thus ending their dalliances and breaking his heart. When she returns, she asks him to marry her daughter Connie, in order to obtain the happiness of the two people she cares about most in this world.
"If your hands were not clean, your good actions had grimmer and more relentless consequences than your sins."Unbeknownst to anyone, Connie has been corrupted by her mother's past and this very decision, which leads the little girl on the path to insanity, for lack of a better word. In one method of coping with this, she makes friends with the hideous, inanimate idol Biliken. Biliken becomes her anchor, a way of shielding her from the harsh realities lurking beyond her safe little bubble.
After Connie grows up and experiences a few blissful months of marriage with Macho, she finds a stack of letters in the back of his closet. Although they're old, written before she was even born, they contain every excruciating detail of her husband and her mother's past relationship, something they'd kept secret for a very good reason. Upset by this shocking revelation, she runs away to Hong Kong while struggling to gain the courage to face her problems head-on.
The unfortunate victims of the Vidal family's shenanigans are a tight-knit circle of friends who grew up away from their heritage and the country it came from. There's Rita, the likeable, sympathetic leader of their group that pulls all the stops to keep them together; Paco, a poor musician who blames Connie for his unhealthy obsession with her when really, he's just a cheating, victim-blaming scumbag and unforgivable almost-rapist; Mary, the unfortunate wife to said scumbag who doesn't grab her kids and leave Paco's ass the moment he tells her of his escapades in the Philippines; and Pepe, a... blank sheet that really only serves to ask Connie questions and inadvertently draw her closer to mess up their lives even further. Following behind is his father Doctor Monson, a demented old man who seeks to go back to the good ol' days by becoming a druggie, and his brother Father Tony, a priest who begins to question if he's cut out for his line of work.
Together, they will unrealistically think and speak in strange riddles and analogies, rife with hidden meanings, as they will, without reason, help this one suicidal stranger, who will effectively ruin the lives of each and every one of them to obtain her happy ending without so much as a proper apology. Forget if it might be temporary, necessary, or done unintentionally. That's fucked up.
"But don't you understand, Father? I want to be good. I'm trying to stay good. Does one go mad for trying to do that? Is it that hard?"If this whole thing wasn't a mess already, Connie's narratives get confusing as hell towards the end. The hallucinations she experiences are supposed to show her unstable mental state and how she slowly overcomes her issues, but most of the time I had no clue what was going on or what was really happening. Only until after I had gone through these scenes over and over again for weeks did I finally get that her dreams were in fact dreams.
"It's very hard indeed. But you, Connie, have taken the easiest way out. You are not trying, you have given up... When you convinced yourself you had two navels, you retreated, not from evil, but only from the struggle against evil. People can't be good unless they know they're free to be bad if they wanted to."
On a matter of personal taste, I have a few more complaints. The last fifty pages were utter crap. Everyone had a chance to be redeemed in my eyes, but any sliver of hope—and I mean for every single character—was kicked to the curb after I crossed that final lap. I was ecstatic Concha was killed—tbh there was a chapter or two where I thought she was great but damn, girl—yet did Macho have to die too? They were apart of the past and so needed to be left behind, but I wanted Macho and Connie to ride off into the sunset, especially after Macho confesses that he had grown to love his little wife and forgotten all about her mother, which he'd only realized until that moment. And what the fuck was up with Connie and Doctor Monson having some dipshit, meaningful conversation in his final moments? It's past meets future, I know that too! Yet I felt like the honor of his last words shouldn't have been randomly bestowed on our pathetic excuse for a protagonist.
But despite its glaring faults, I couldn't put it down. Like a bystander drawn to the sight of a trainwreck, I couldn't tear my eyes until I reached the last page. I felt a burning hatred for every single character and every one of their stupid actions but still, I couldn't, which leaves me to my next point.
I could label this as a godawful book and leave it at that. But oh no. My feelings, much like this book, are much more complex. (See! I can do this too, Father Tony. You self-righteous piece of shit.) As a work of commentary regarding the Philippine identity and society, it does a brilliant job. I admit, I will give credit where credit is due. As an enjoyable work of fiction... no. Just no. Joaquin focuses too much on getting a point across than writing a story. Which would be fine, since he probably meant for it to be that way, but I wish he could have managed to have balanced both of these elements, so that the reader could be satisfied in the message and the ultimate fate of the cast.
Perhaps their lives needed to be changed. Perhaps Connie needed to go to a veterinarian instead of the psychiatrist she so obviously needs. Perhaps Connie needed to take that idiotic confrontation with Doctor Monson on his deathbed. Perhaps Connie needed to take that *coughs* unconventional step of courage. Perhaps Mary needed for her husband to be stolen away and left with a gaggle of kids to "find herself". Perhaps Paco shouldn't have gotten his comeuppance. Perhaps Macho needed to shoot Concha and himself in the fucking head instead of Connie starting over with him and living happily ever after. But this does not make me hate these choices any less, and this doesn't make any of these characters less of a dumbass for doing what needed to be done. I end this review with one big fat middle finger to all of them.
one-and-a-half stars
December 31, 2015
Just the best book I've read this year! Sobrang galing. Breathtaking as it is profound. I'm officially a fan, Sir. :)
May 11, 2015
I think that this book is more than about the Philippines and its history as other reviews suggest. Many allusions to events in the Philippine history was used but I guess they are there to contextualize "some things" in relation to one's personhood during those times. There are other topics about personhood discussed - like freedom, morality, etc. - and I think they are still relevant today as it was in the times when the plot is contextualized.
I think that the plot presents in an intricate yet subtle way how human nature cope with life experiences - from one's childhood to one's adult life. This novel is more of psychological in its theme that reflects on one's life experiences. But more than that, it is also about one's struggle to go out from the grip of the past to acknowledge that one is free to do what one should do in the face of the struggle for the moral thing to do. This is just my reflection on the book. But maybe I could re-read this in the perspective of Philippine identity, but as of now, I believe that this novel is more about one's struggle to find one's self in thick of one's present reality and not bound up by the past.
As for how the book was written, it was delicately and brilliantly written. There are a lot of "verses" that Nick Joaquin uses and turns around to give new meaning. These lines are like recreating their meaning, at times, and on other times, they are reinforcing the image they portray and creating allusions within the text. Great style! I have never encountered anything like this yet.
Admittedly, this is not an easy read. I wrote this review only after my second reading of the book. There are many flashback scenes in the plot but was flawlessly incorporated to lead the reader back to the present (i.e., present time in the novel). Again, excellent style!
I think that the plot presents in an intricate yet subtle way how human nature cope with life experiences - from one's childhood to one's adult life. This novel is more of psychological in its theme that reflects on one's life experiences. But more than that, it is also about one's struggle to go out from the grip of the past to acknowledge that one is free to do what one should do in the face of the struggle for the moral thing to do. This is just my reflection on the book. But maybe I could re-read this in the perspective of Philippine identity, but as of now, I believe that this novel is more about one's struggle to find one's self in thick of one's present reality and not bound up by the past.
As for how the book was written, it was delicately and brilliantly written. There are a lot of "verses" that Nick Joaquin uses and turns around to give new meaning. These lines are like recreating their meaning, at times, and on other times, they are reinforcing the image they portray and creating allusions within the text. Great style! I have never encountered anything like this yet.
Admittedly, this is not an easy read. I wrote this review only after my second reading of the book. There are many flashback scenes in the plot but was flawlessly incorporated to lead the reader back to the present (i.e., present time in the novel). Again, excellent style!
May 1, 2010
I was a kid when I read this book. Probably, I was twelve or so. I also saw the short-story version (the short-story came first, then, upon a Rockefeller Grant, Joaquin expanded it into a novel).
July 10, 2013
This book deals with the absurd. The book is a complex story on individual choice as a step in living a more fulfilling life and through the characters an allegory on how a developing country chooses democracy in its steps for self-determination. I understand how some people find this book a hard read because the character's engage in a sort of stream of consciousness montage that occasionally shifts from past to the present as well alternate scenerious that one can interpret as hallucinations. Parts 3-5 is excellent piece of experimental writing as well as having complex moral dilemmas so I will give this book a 5 stars.
A southern landlord, Mr Escobar gave his boy on his 15 birthday a servant girl whose father was a tenant father who had debts owed to Mr. Escobar. When she got pregnant, Escobar tried to hide the girl but Macho got pisses off and rebelled against his father since she was his first experience. After going to boarding school in Manila, Macho came home and became fast friends with his father who he hunted, drank, and whored with.
Macho tells on how he met Senora Vidal. Mr Vidal told his wife that they should court the Escobars because they had significant voting blocs that they could secure. While Mr Vidal led Mr Escobar to the gambling tables, Senora de Vidal entertained Macho. Escobar said that Concha was a good wife and devoted mother who had a reputation for being lecherous though no one could place anything definite on her. Mr Escobar said that she probably had an itch to cheat but just need an opportunity to and joked that Macho should go after her before she goes after him.
After a few months of being a bad boy galavanting around town, Macho meets Concha again by chance and was taken with her passion and excitement for him so much so that she did not try to hide their affair. What started out as a fling became something more where they both fell in love. Love was something that was serious and needed to be hidden because it destabilizes stable societal ties. Macho suggested that they run away together so they could live happily ever after without having to look over their shoulders but Concha could not bring her 9 yrs old daughter with her.
Concha said she would go away on her own because she did not want to destroy Connie nor Macho's life and urge him to tell his father that the affair was over. His father wanted progeny so he urged his son to leave Concha. After Escobar died and Concha left him, Macho became the evil landlord like his father and their forefathers before them so that the tenant farmers nothing ever seems to change in which one master is just replaced with someone who is as equally as cruel. During WWII, he became a cruel guerilla overlord who got his tenants together into a small guerilla army to kill Japs and their collaborators with a sadistic pleasure since he considered his life destroyed.
After the war, he bumped into Concha again and knew he still desired and wanted her. Due to war, Concha changed into a hardened woman. Later, she wanted Macho to marry Connie which Concha thought would be the best solution for the both of them. Macho hated Concha for suggesting such a match but married Connie anyway since it was Concha who asked. Only when Macho discovered that Connie knew about the love letters did he realized the magnitude of the betrayal that he shared with Concha against Connie.
For Senora Vidal, whatever she does seems wrong. She tried to break off with Macho because her conscience demanded it only to see him destroy his own life. She also tried to match Macho and Connie because she knew that they would be happy together only to find people thought what she did was depraved. In trying to save the two most important people in her life, she destroyed them and damned her life to misery. Joaquin says it best, "Anguish was manufactured by her benevolence; her private hell was indeed paved with good intentions."
Paco Texeira's band was the only band playing American jazz during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. Filipinos are the only Asians who understood and mimic American jazz rhythm. Unlike the Monson boys who were constantly reminded that they were sons of a patriot in exile, Paco had no sense of country as long as he had his music he could live anywhere. The only thing he remembers of his father talking about the Philippines is a description of its mountain ranges as a woman lying down. Paco lived with his mother because his father had an unstable income because he was also a musician. He makes an interesting observation in juxtaposing between Filipino traditions and Americanized Filipinos occurring in the same individual Filipino.
In one of his gigs, Paco befriended Senora de Vidal so they could swap tips on where to go in Hong Kong vs Manila. Paco thought their relationship strictly platonic as his marriage to Mary was great in that they seemed to be extensions of one another. But despite the platonic nature of Paco and de Vidal's relationship, the gossip of them being lovers made their friendship lose its luster. For a couple of weeks, he stopped seeing her and found a Manila that was poverty stricken unlike de Vidal's rich Manila. Two Manila's living side by side but never seeing each other.
One day while waiting for de Vidal, Paco found Connie and from that moment on wanted her. It was during this time that Connie found the love letters between Concha and Macho and went to her mother's house to confront her. Connie became a groupie of his band showing up in clubs that he would play in perhaps to distract herself from problems at home or possibly even get revenge from her husbands affair with her mother. In am moment of terror in which one man shot another, Paco comforted Connie and was driven to him by his protection. Knowing that the attraction was mutual, Paco allowed her desire for him to overtake her mental reservation on cheating on her husband. Not knowing her background story and thinking that she was a tease, Paco was about to rape her but was scared off by the all seeing eye. Paco states that both Connie and Senora de Vidal have an evil hold on him and he knows that he will go running to them when they call him. Pepe realized both his father and Paco have a similar traumatized look after they came back from the Philippines.
The book starts of with Connie visiting a horse doctor in Hong Kong believing she is abnormal because she has two navels and wants something to be done about it because she does not want to seem like a freak when she has to undress for her husband. Later, Connie asked Pepe to act as a go between her and Macho. For Pepe, Connie seemed to be a troubled girl with a compulsive lying past.
Senora Vidal remembers how Dr Monson courageously chose exile rather than pledging allegiance to the US after they took over the Philippines. Senora forced her daughter, Connie, to marry because she became upset by the common rumor that her father was pilfering from state coffers in order to send his daughters to a good private school. Connie believed the rumors and did not want to go to school with blood money.
According to Senora Vidal, Connie is now chasing a band leader Paco Texeira because she was forced to marry a man she did not love or even choose. Connie runs away to Hong Kong and is followed by her mother and husband. De Vidal matched Connie up with Macho though neither one was in love with the other she gradually grew to like him a lot due to his good humor and good looks. For his part though he liked her too, he did not seem present when they were together. Macho came to Hong Kong to take Connie home so she would not embarrass her politician father during election time by creating a scandal that can hand the opposition gossip as ammunition. When Macho realized he could lose Connie forever due to the love letters, he changed his tune and wanted her back in her own terms no matter how long that took.
Meanwhile, Rita and Helen owns a successful interior decorator venture that Is expanding due to the rapid expansion of Hong Kong. Rita was her batches leader and matched Paco and Mary together since they seemed each others extension of the other. While Mary used to be independent in traveling to other parts of the world while her batch mates stayed in Hong Kong, now that she is a mother, she is servile to Paco as she feels they are two halves to the same soul. But ever since Paco and Pepe's father returned from the Philippines it seemed the group is falling apart.
CHAPTER III: VIDAL
During Concha's childhood, it was known that the house lizards were "servants of the Virgin". In April at age 15, Concha met her first husband during a play in which the ambivalent new empire the Americans established tried to censor the theatre as a means for expressing nationalistic sentiments after the Filipino-American war. It was here that Concha met her first love, an Esteban Borromeo who was a former editor of her fathers nationalistic newspaper who was sued by libel because he called the American merchant propping up in the Philippines carpetbaggers. Because nationalistic sentiment remained high after the Filipino-American war, Senior Gil mortgaged his home so that Esteban could be freed from prison. Since Senor Gil's paper closed, Esteban started working as a playwrite of a subversive play critical of American occupation.
Esteban Borromeo had a Byron cool on the outside hiding an interior lightening. As expected when it came to the subversive part of the play, the Americans closed down the play and arrested all the actors including Esteban himself. For Concha, Esteban represented the heroism that she was looking for in a real man who stood for nationalistic impulse against a foreign power. When she met him, she felt that for the first time she was a real woman because she knew what it was like to be in love. Reading his poetry, she was intrigued how naughty the words were which she juxtaposed by his sweet demeanor towards her.
Despite her interest in Esteban, she tried to be coquettish about her interest to throw her parents off from her precocious interest towards Esteban. She was able to force Esteban into a conventional courtship from the rebellious man since "he had romantic habits but classic custom." Unlike her contemporaries, Concha was able to have her love match. Just like a gentleman, he asked her parents for her hands in marriage. Esteban and Concha saw a bright future for each other with Esteban bursting with ideas not aware that America's presence would drastically change the social and cultural landscape so that Esteban intelligence and faith in the old language of Spanish and its customs would be discarded in favor of English and American culture so much so that their ideas became inaccessible to future Filipino generations. While initially Americans were considered an occupier at the fringe of society, no one knew the extent of how American culture would usurp European or indigenous Filipino cultures. Not until after WWII, did Filipina's even consider being with an American. It was said that Southern girls were the best looking mix of Malay, Chinese, and Spanish blood. It was a land of chieftains. The woman of the south were either heiress, servants, or prostitutes. Esteban was a casualty of this cultural shift from Spanish to English in which a promising man of letters becomes an outdated fossil. Because he was not able to make the shift from Spanish to American rule, he died a broke and broken hearted man. Concha became a widow as Esteban succumbed to his illness and had to live with her father.
During her widowhood, she got pregnant by an effete writer and she turned to Dr Manolo Vidal for help. Vidal was widely known as a man who would perform abortions for sexual favors since to be "with child" outside of marriage was seen as a disgrace to the family. Perhaps because he himself was an old literary revolutionary, he respected Concha Borromeo. Unlike the other old revolutionary intellectuals, he saw the future laid in American politics so he quickly associated himself with Quezon who was backed by Americans as a reward for meeting American's half-way. Because he was able to adapt to changing times, Manolo Vidal political fortunes rose. After her abortion, Concha turned to religion with equal passion which she displayed in earlier love affairs. But before she could dedicate her life to God, Vidal came back into her life to court her. Even though she was in her mid-30's, Manolo surprised her by finding her beautiful enough to marry her.
As a monk, Tony Monson feels that he does not belong in Hong Kong instead seeing it as a place for exile. He does not feel holy either as his monastery is in the middle of the city. As per Pepe suggestion, Connie goes to Tony to find an explanation for her two navels. She felt both troubled and blessed to be different from other people. To Tony, she seems dangerously delusional who does not want to find out that she is delusional though she realizes that this maybe a real possibility.
Concha did not join the group at the club because she just wants to watch the young be young and full of energy. Later she argues with Father Monson that God made women beautiful so she feels it is her duty to God to be beautiful in front of everyone. While Father says it is inner beauty that God looks at, Concha feels it is her vanity that defines her. She says perhaps the real reason she married Macho off to Connie was because of the hate she felt for her daughter for preventing her from running off with Macho unlike her superficial reasoning that she did it because she thought they would make a good match. Concha thinks her inability to face her daughter maybe due to her fear that she actually hates her.
The Monson brothers found Connie in their apartment and relayed the information that Macho wants to start from scratch with Connie wherever she might want to go as long as they are together. She insists that the knowledge of her two navels will scare him away. The Monson brothers think that she is using the delusion of having two navels in order to feel unique and disengage from her problematic life including an excuse for not confronting Macho about being her mother's former lover. She wants to be safe so she retreats from a fully lived life. The Monson brothers want her to reengage in her life in order to live a full, free, responsible life of her own choosing. She wants the Monson brothers to confirm or refute her two navel delusion once and for all by stripping and letting them see for themselves whether or not she has two navel. Father Tony left Pepe to refute her two navel delusion which Pepe hesitantly acquiesced to.
Chapter IV
When Pepe confirmed that she only had on navel her delusional world broke apart. She proceeded to do what she always has done to run away first toward the monastery. During her drive towards the monastery she had both flashbacks and hallucinations of the destruction of her family.
FLASHBACKS:
When she was 5, Connie went to a carnival and wanted her doll Minnie to see Bililken, a carnival god who was going to be her idol in her belief in having two navels. Connie being a spoiled brat wanted the Biliken idol even going as far as throwing Minnie away and lying about it in order to convince he mother to get Bilikern for her. Here we see Connie as a compulsive liar because she equates her lies with safety and the outside world as having the 3 hags of terror in it.
When she was 11, she was able to possesses Biliken because Mr. Vidal thought it would represent happy memories during the beginning of WWII. For Connie, Biliken represented the joyous past before WWII destroyed it. It was during this time that mother broke up with Macho and the happy illusion of a family broke up. Up to that point, Connie idealized her mother as good and beautiful. But when she came back from Hong Kong, she became cold and mean. For Connie, Biliken represented a friendly face during American occupation before the horrors of WWII set in. At age 14, she was evacuated since the war was coming to Manila.
At age 15 after the war, the Vidals returned to the ruins of their home which Connie did not want to be rebuilt because things can never be what it was. She looked for her lucky charm Biliken which was the only thing keeping her sane after her mother emotionally abandoned her and during the horrors of WWII only to find two bullet holes in its belly shocking her. With the mutilated and ugly Biliken, she begins to internalize what she saw as her own disfigurement as having two navels and begins to doubt her happy past as a possible figment of her imagination. Perhaps she sees her past as horrible which was confirmed with Macho and Concha's affair, she takes on the delusion of having two navels as a way of internalizing her traumatic past transforming her into this horrible monster. After her honeymoon with Macho, Connie discovered the love letters. The shock sent her to Biliken not remembering the events that led her search for Biliken.
PRESENT DAY HALLUCINATION OR ALTERNATE PARALLEL UNIVERSE:
Connie is devolving in her delusions based on her own lies now has grown to seeing spies everywhere she looks. When she entered the train compartment, she found Macho waiting for her inside. She realizes that she lacks free-will and her life has been predetermined from the very beginning despite Macho wanting to break from the past and start anew. When Connie told him that she no longer wanted to be with him, Macho dropped the pretense of free will and said that he, Concha, and Connie will forever be linked. He suggests that as a little girl she knew about the affair as was an implicit accomplice to it. She eventually agreed that the love triangle will forever be linked and that when Macho makes love to Connie it will be both with Connie and Concha he is making love to. Even though Macho wants to escape so that it is just he and Connie, he knows that Concha presence will always be present. Connie felt comfortable with Macho's presence growing up as he was the stand in for the brothers she never saw while finding the love letters dispelled the myth that Macho and Connie were merely friends. Her childhood was built on a foundation of lies about friendship and false comfort. The hallucination ends with the train crashing and both of them dying.
Connie gets on a ship and sees her mother there. Her mother says that she is there because Connie is there further underscoring their being tied. Connie feels that Concha never loved her but just be kind and not hate her just as if she was a step-daughter not her real daughter. Instead of Connie, Concha got her affection from Macho. Connie thinks she is the fruit of all evil that Concha carried inside her. Concha confesses that she did a terrible thing marrying Manolo. Connie wanted to go on pretending that Conch was the perfect mother but she could no longer pretend to love Connie because of the happiness that being with her cost Concha. Concha agreed that she never wanted Connie and she represents all the evil in Concha's life. The hallucination ends with Connie and Concha drowning in a sinking ship.
A southern landlord, Mr Escobar gave his boy on his 15 birthday a servant girl whose father was a tenant father who had debts owed to Mr. Escobar. When she got pregnant, Escobar tried to hide the girl but Macho got pisses off and rebelled against his father since she was his first experience. After going to boarding school in Manila, Macho came home and became fast friends with his father who he hunted, drank, and whored with.
Macho tells on how he met Senora Vidal. Mr Vidal told his wife that they should court the Escobars because they had significant voting blocs that they could secure. While Mr Vidal led Mr Escobar to the gambling tables, Senora de Vidal entertained Macho. Escobar said that Concha was a good wife and devoted mother who had a reputation for being lecherous though no one could place anything definite on her. Mr Escobar said that she probably had an itch to cheat but just need an opportunity to and joked that Macho should go after her before she goes after him.
After a few months of being a bad boy galavanting around town, Macho meets Concha again by chance and was taken with her passion and excitement for him so much so that she did not try to hide their affair. What started out as a fling became something more where they both fell in love. Love was something that was serious and needed to be hidden because it destabilizes stable societal ties. Macho suggested that they run away together so they could live happily ever after without having to look over their shoulders but Concha could not bring her 9 yrs old daughter with her.
Concha said she would go away on her own because she did not want to destroy Connie nor Macho's life and urge him to tell his father that the affair was over. His father wanted progeny so he urged his son to leave Concha. After Escobar died and Concha left him, Macho became the evil landlord like his father and their forefathers before them so that the tenant farmers nothing ever seems to change in which one master is just replaced with someone who is as equally as cruel. During WWII, he became a cruel guerilla overlord who got his tenants together into a small guerilla army to kill Japs and their collaborators with a sadistic pleasure since he considered his life destroyed.
After the war, he bumped into Concha again and knew he still desired and wanted her. Due to war, Concha changed into a hardened woman. Later, she wanted Macho to marry Connie which Concha thought would be the best solution for the both of them. Macho hated Concha for suggesting such a match but married Connie anyway since it was Concha who asked. Only when Macho discovered that Connie knew about the love letters did he realized the magnitude of the betrayal that he shared with Concha against Connie.
For Senora Vidal, whatever she does seems wrong. She tried to break off with Macho because her conscience demanded it only to see him destroy his own life. She also tried to match Macho and Connie because she knew that they would be happy together only to find people thought what she did was depraved. In trying to save the two most important people in her life, she destroyed them and damned her life to misery. Joaquin says it best, "Anguish was manufactured by her benevolence; her private hell was indeed paved with good intentions."
Paco Texeira's band was the only band playing American jazz during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. Filipinos are the only Asians who understood and mimic American jazz rhythm. Unlike the Monson boys who were constantly reminded that they were sons of a patriot in exile, Paco had no sense of country as long as he had his music he could live anywhere. The only thing he remembers of his father talking about the Philippines is a description of its mountain ranges as a woman lying down. Paco lived with his mother because his father had an unstable income because he was also a musician. He makes an interesting observation in juxtaposing between Filipino traditions and Americanized Filipinos occurring in the same individual Filipino.
In one of his gigs, Paco befriended Senora de Vidal so they could swap tips on where to go in Hong Kong vs Manila. Paco thought their relationship strictly platonic as his marriage to Mary was great in that they seemed to be extensions of one another. But despite the platonic nature of Paco and de Vidal's relationship, the gossip of them being lovers made their friendship lose its luster. For a couple of weeks, he stopped seeing her and found a Manila that was poverty stricken unlike de Vidal's rich Manila. Two Manila's living side by side but never seeing each other.
One day while waiting for de Vidal, Paco found Connie and from that moment on wanted her. It was during this time that Connie found the love letters between Concha and Macho and went to her mother's house to confront her. Connie became a groupie of his band showing up in clubs that he would play in perhaps to distract herself from problems at home or possibly even get revenge from her husbands affair with her mother. In am moment of terror in which one man shot another, Paco comforted Connie and was driven to him by his protection. Knowing that the attraction was mutual, Paco allowed her desire for him to overtake her mental reservation on cheating on her husband. Not knowing her background story and thinking that she was a tease, Paco was about to rape her but was scared off by the all seeing eye. Paco states that both Connie and Senora de Vidal have an evil hold on him and he knows that he will go running to them when they call him. Pepe realized both his father and Paco have a similar traumatized look after they came back from the Philippines.
The book starts of with Connie visiting a horse doctor in Hong Kong believing she is abnormal because she has two navels and wants something to be done about it because she does not want to seem like a freak when she has to undress for her husband. Later, Connie asked Pepe to act as a go between her and Macho. For Pepe, Connie seemed to be a troubled girl with a compulsive lying past.
Senora Vidal remembers how Dr Monson courageously chose exile rather than pledging allegiance to the US after they took over the Philippines. Senora forced her daughter, Connie, to marry because she became upset by the common rumor that her father was pilfering from state coffers in order to send his daughters to a good private school. Connie believed the rumors and did not want to go to school with blood money.
According to Senora Vidal, Connie is now chasing a band leader Paco Texeira because she was forced to marry a man she did not love or even choose. Connie runs away to Hong Kong and is followed by her mother and husband. De Vidal matched Connie up with Macho though neither one was in love with the other she gradually grew to like him a lot due to his good humor and good looks. For his part though he liked her too, he did not seem present when they were together. Macho came to Hong Kong to take Connie home so she would not embarrass her politician father during election time by creating a scandal that can hand the opposition gossip as ammunition. When Macho realized he could lose Connie forever due to the love letters, he changed his tune and wanted her back in her own terms no matter how long that took.
Meanwhile, Rita and Helen owns a successful interior decorator venture that Is expanding due to the rapid expansion of Hong Kong. Rita was her batches leader and matched Paco and Mary together since they seemed each others extension of the other. While Mary used to be independent in traveling to other parts of the world while her batch mates stayed in Hong Kong, now that she is a mother, she is servile to Paco as she feels they are two halves to the same soul. But ever since Paco and Pepe's father returned from the Philippines it seemed the group is falling apart.
CHAPTER III: VIDAL
During Concha's childhood, it was known that the house lizards were "servants of the Virgin". In April at age 15, Concha met her first husband during a play in which the ambivalent new empire the Americans established tried to censor the theatre as a means for expressing nationalistic sentiments after the Filipino-American war. It was here that Concha met her first love, an Esteban Borromeo who was a former editor of her fathers nationalistic newspaper who was sued by libel because he called the American merchant propping up in the Philippines carpetbaggers. Because nationalistic sentiment remained high after the Filipino-American war, Senior Gil mortgaged his home so that Esteban could be freed from prison. Since Senor Gil's paper closed, Esteban started working as a playwrite of a subversive play critical of American occupation.
Esteban Borromeo had a Byron cool on the outside hiding an interior lightening. As expected when it came to the subversive part of the play, the Americans closed down the play and arrested all the actors including Esteban himself. For Concha, Esteban represented the heroism that she was looking for in a real man who stood for nationalistic impulse against a foreign power. When she met him, she felt that for the first time she was a real woman because she knew what it was like to be in love. Reading his poetry, she was intrigued how naughty the words were which she juxtaposed by his sweet demeanor towards her.
Despite her interest in Esteban, she tried to be coquettish about her interest to throw her parents off from her precocious interest towards Esteban. She was able to force Esteban into a conventional courtship from the rebellious man since "he had romantic habits but classic custom." Unlike her contemporaries, Concha was able to have her love match. Just like a gentleman, he asked her parents for her hands in marriage. Esteban and Concha saw a bright future for each other with Esteban bursting with ideas not aware that America's presence would drastically change the social and cultural landscape so that Esteban intelligence and faith in the old language of Spanish and its customs would be discarded in favor of English and American culture so much so that their ideas became inaccessible to future Filipino generations. While initially Americans were considered an occupier at the fringe of society, no one knew the extent of how American culture would usurp European or indigenous Filipino cultures. Not until after WWII, did Filipina's even consider being with an American. It was said that Southern girls were the best looking mix of Malay, Chinese, and Spanish blood. It was a land of chieftains. The woman of the south were either heiress, servants, or prostitutes. Esteban was a casualty of this cultural shift from Spanish to English in which a promising man of letters becomes an outdated fossil. Because he was not able to make the shift from Spanish to American rule, he died a broke and broken hearted man. Concha became a widow as Esteban succumbed to his illness and had to live with her father.
During her widowhood, she got pregnant by an effete writer and she turned to Dr Manolo Vidal for help. Vidal was widely known as a man who would perform abortions for sexual favors since to be "with child" outside of marriage was seen as a disgrace to the family. Perhaps because he himself was an old literary revolutionary, he respected Concha Borromeo. Unlike the other old revolutionary intellectuals, he saw the future laid in American politics so he quickly associated himself with Quezon who was backed by Americans as a reward for meeting American's half-way. Because he was able to adapt to changing times, Manolo Vidal political fortunes rose. After her abortion, Concha turned to religion with equal passion which she displayed in earlier love affairs. But before she could dedicate her life to God, Vidal came back into her life to court her. Even though she was in her mid-30's, Manolo surprised her by finding her beautiful enough to marry her.
As a monk, Tony Monson feels that he does not belong in Hong Kong instead seeing it as a place for exile. He does not feel holy either as his monastery is in the middle of the city. As per Pepe suggestion, Connie goes to Tony to find an explanation for her two navels. She felt both troubled and blessed to be different from other people. To Tony, she seems dangerously delusional who does not want to find out that she is delusional though she realizes that this maybe a real possibility.
Concha did not join the group at the club because she just wants to watch the young be young and full of energy. Later she argues with Father Monson that God made women beautiful so she feels it is her duty to God to be beautiful in front of everyone. While Father says it is inner beauty that God looks at, Concha feels it is her vanity that defines her. She says perhaps the real reason she married Macho off to Connie was because of the hate she felt for her daughter for preventing her from running off with Macho unlike her superficial reasoning that she did it because she thought they would make a good match. Concha thinks her inability to face her daughter maybe due to her fear that she actually hates her.
The Monson brothers found Connie in their apartment and relayed the information that Macho wants to start from scratch with Connie wherever she might want to go as long as they are together. She insists that the knowledge of her two navels will scare him away. The Monson brothers think that she is using the delusion of having two navels in order to feel unique and disengage from her problematic life including an excuse for not confronting Macho about being her mother's former lover. She wants to be safe so she retreats from a fully lived life. The Monson brothers want her to reengage in her life in order to live a full, free, responsible life of her own choosing. She wants the Monson brothers to confirm or refute her two navel delusion once and for all by stripping and letting them see for themselves whether or not she has two navel. Father Tony left Pepe to refute her two navel delusion which Pepe hesitantly acquiesced to.
Chapter IV
When Pepe confirmed that she only had on navel her delusional world broke apart. She proceeded to do what she always has done to run away first toward the monastery. During her drive towards the monastery she had both flashbacks and hallucinations of the destruction of her family.
FLASHBACKS:
When she was 5, Connie went to a carnival and wanted her doll Minnie to see Bililken, a carnival god who was going to be her idol in her belief in having two navels. Connie being a spoiled brat wanted the Biliken idol even going as far as throwing Minnie away and lying about it in order to convince he mother to get Bilikern for her. Here we see Connie as a compulsive liar because she equates her lies with safety and the outside world as having the 3 hags of terror in it.
When she was 11, she was able to possesses Biliken because Mr. Vidal thought it would represent happy memories during the beginning of WWII. For Connie, Biliken represented the joyous past before WWII destroyed it. It was during this time that mother broke up with Macho and the happy illusion of a family broke up. Up to that point, Connie idealized her mother as good and beautiful. But when she came back from Hong Kong, she became cold and mean. For Connie, Biliken represented a friendly face during American occupation before the horrors of WWII set in. At age 14, she was evacuated since the war was coming to Manila.
At age 15 after the war, the Vidals returned to the ruins of their home which Connie did not want to be rebuilt because things can never be what it was. She looked for her lucky charm Biliken which was the only thing keeping her sane after her mother emotionally abandoned her and during the horrors of WWII only to find two bullet holes in its belly shocking her. With the mutilated and ugly Biliken, she begins to internalize what she saw as her own disfigurement as having two navels and begins to doubt her happy past as a possible figment of her imagination. Perhaps she sees her past as horrible which was confirmed with Macho and Concha's affair, she takes on the delusion of having two navels as a way of internalizing her traumatic past transforming her into this horrible monster. After her honeymoon with Macho, Connie discovered the love letters. The shock sent her to Biliken not remembering the events that led her search for Biliken.
PRESENT DAY HALLUCINATION OR ALTERNATE PARALLEL UNIVERSE:
Connie is devolving in her delusions based on her own lies now has grown to seeing spies everywhere she looks. When she entered the train compartment, she found Macho waiting for her inside. She realizes that she lacks free-will and her life has been predetermined from the very beginning despite Macho wanting to break from the past and start anew. When Connie told him that she no longer wanted to be with him, Macho dropped the pretense of free will and said that he, Concha, and Connie will forever be linked. He suggests that as a little girl she knew about the affair as was an implicit accomplice to it. She eventually agreed that the love triangle will forever be linked and that when Macho makes love to Connie it will be both with Connie and Concha he is making love to. Even though Macho wants to escape so that it is just he and Connie, he knows that Concha presence will always be present. Connie felt comfortable with Macho's presence growing up as he was the stand in for the brothers she never saw while finding the love letters dispelled the myth that Macho and Connie were merely friends. Her childhood was built on a foundation of lies about friendship and false comfort. The hallucination ends with the train crashing and both of them dying.
Connie gets on a ship and sees her mother there. Her mother says that she is there because Connie is there further underscoring their being tied. Connie feels that Concha never loved her but just be kind and not hate her just as if she was a step-daughter not her real daughter. Instead of Connie, Concha got her affection from Macho. Connie thinks she is the fruit of all evil that Concha carried inside her. Concha confesses that she did a terrible thing marrying Manolo. Connie wanted to go on pretending that Conch was the perfect mother but she could no longer pretend to love Connie because of the happiness that being with her cost Concha. Concha agreed that she never wanted Connie and she represents all the evil in Concha's life. The hallucination ends with Connie and Concha drowning in a sinking ship.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2017
As a Filipino, this book appeals to me on different levels. Joaquin wrote this on a different time and yet its significance remains to be relevant.
I see the character of Connie as the embodiment of the Filipinos. Having two navels, therefore, implying having two mothers, personifies the two nations that colonized the Philippines. The culture, politics and other influences of these two nations have led the Filipinos in a state of being addle on their identity, similar to the state of Connie. At some point, as I try to digest the condition of Connie, I was caught on a quandary on whether her character, or Concha, really existed, since it seems feasible, for me at least, that one of the ladies may be the alter-ego of the other (a case of dual personality).
I'm neutral on the style of writing. There are times that the pacing and transition of the story are not established well. But Joaquin piqued my interest in accounts where he described the old Manila. I got curious about how verisimilar is his description of the place in those days that I Googled old photos.
Overall, Joaquin's work is worth the pride of the Filipinos. This book, along with other works of Filipino authors, should saturate the literature provided to young Filipinos.
I see the character of Connie as the embodiment of the Filipinos. Having two navels, therefore, implying having two mothers, personifies the two nations that colonized the Philippines. The culture, politics and other influences of these two nations have led the Filipinos in a state of being addle on their identity, similar to the state of Connie. At some point, as I try to digest the condition of Connie, I was caught on a quandary on whether her character, or Concha, really existed, since it seems feasible, for me at least, that one of the ladies may be the alter-ego of the other (a case of dual personality).
I'm neutral on the style of writing. There are times that the pacing and transition of the story are not established well. But Joaquin piqued my interest in accounts where he described the old Manila. I got curious about how verisimilar is his description of the place in those days that I Googled old photos.
Overall, Joaquin's work is worth the pride of the Filipinos. This book, along with other works of Filipino authors, should saturate the literature provided to young Filipinos.
September 30, 2007
it's like watching a play..
May 18, 2021
Na-stress ako sa pagbabasa ng novel na ito ni Nick Joaquin. Bukod sa nahirapan akong unawain ang mga nangyayari sa kuwentong may iba't ibang punto de bista ng mga tauhan, ang hilig din niya sa napakahahabang pangungusap. Imagine, one sentence, umaabot ng 3 pages? Kahilig n'ya sa ganitong style.
Ito rin yata ang pinakaburgis n'yang kuwento. Burgis din naman ang "Candido's Apocalypse" (at mahahaba ang pangungusap) pero nilevel up pa ni Joaquin dito. Setting pa lang, can't afford na: sa Hong Kong kasi nangyari ang kuwento. No wonder love na love s'ya ng mga Chinese. Hahaha!
Hindi ko nagustuhan ang kuwento dahil ang weird n'ya at parang pangteleserye ang dialogue (pero in English). Tapos nangyari lang ang lahat in a span of, what, 2 or 3 days? Ang ewan din ng two navels ng bida. Symbolic lang s'ya, metaphorical, pero di ko bet. It's a "coming-of-age" story na mapait sa panlasa.
Ang malala pa, tinapos ang arc ni girl na may two navels sa kudaan. Jinustify ng ibang mga tauhan ang kagagahan niyang ginawa sa didactic na usapan. Bale ang nangyari, nasolve ang problema ni girl by creating another problem. Two wrongs don't make a right, di ba? Pero iyon ang ginawa ni Ateng.
Tapos mega explain lang sa dulo si Father kung bakit nagawa iyon ni girl na may dalawang pusod kuno. Na kesyo she finally found herself, her will to live, her free will. Na kahit "masama" ang desisyon n'ya, at least it's her choice. I mean, WTF, man? Nu pinagsasasabi mo d'yan? Pari ka, di ba? Anyare? Hahaha!
Exciting lang 'yung premise, 'yung simula, nang ireveal ng bida ang tungkol sa dalawa niyang pusod, pero mas umikot ang kuwento sa mga taong nakapalibot sa kanya. Mas marami silang exposure kaysa sa kanya. Puro back story na nakakalitong sundan, although naappreciate ko naman ang history lesson sa end of Spanish colonization at ang panghihimasok ng US.
Naappreciate ko rin syempre ang mahusay na paglalarawan ni Joaquin sa mga eksena, lalo na sa paligid. Vivid naman.
Pero maliban d'yan, wala na. I therefore conclude na hindi ako fan ng fiction ni Joaquin. Maybe I should try reading his nonfiction works next, pero baka matagalan pa. Nababagot talaga kasi ako sa writing n'ya.
I mean, boring din naman ang writing nina Orhan Pamuk at Thomas Mann, pero may mararamdaman ka sa kuwento nila kahit boring ang nangyayari. Nasa delivery e. May astonishment at wonder. E dito kay Joaquin, ang primary emotion ko while reading was ennui. Sorry not sorry.
Read this novel if you want to learn about the past at kung nais mong malaman ang writing style ni Joaquin (at ng mga fictionist natin noon). Pero kung light reading at pure entertainment ang hanap mo, skip this.
Ito rin yata ang pinakaburgis n'yang kuwento. Burgis din naman ang "Candido's Apocalypse" (at mahahaba ang pangungusap) pero nilevel up pa ni Joaquin dito. Setting pa lang, can't afford na: sa Hong Kong kasi nangyari ang kuwento. No wonder love na love s'ya ng mga Chinese. Hahaha!
Hindi ko nagustuhan ang kuwento dahil ang weird n'ya at parang pangteleserye ang dialogue (pero in English). Tapos nangyari lang ang lahat in a span of, what, 2 or 3 days? Ang ewan din ng two navels ng bida. Symbolic lang s'ya, metaphorical, pero di ko bet. It's a "coming-of-age" story na mapait sa panlasa.
Ang malala pa, tinapos ang arc ni girl na may two navels sa kudaan. Jinustify ng ibang mga tauhan ang kagagahan niyang ginawa sa didactic na usapan. Bale ang nangyari, nasolve ang problema ni girl by creating another problem. Two wrongs don't make a right, di ba? Pero iyon ang ginawa ni Ateng.
Tapos mega explain lang sa dulo si Father kung bakit nagawa iyon ni girl na may dalawang pusod kuno. Na kesyo she finally found herself, her will to live, her free will. Na kahit "masama" ang desisyon n'ya, at least it's her choice. I mean, WTF, man? Nu pinagsasasabi mo d'yan? Pari ka, di ba? Anyare? Hahaha!
Exciting lang 'yung premise, 'yung simula, nang ireveal ng bida ang tungkol sa dalawa niyang pusod, pero mas umikot ang kuwento sa mga taong nakapalibot sa kanya. Mas marami silang exposure kaysa sa kanya. Puro back story na nakakalitong sundan, although naappreciate ko naman ang history lesson sa end of Spanish colonization at ang panghihimasok ng US.
Naappreciate ko rin syempre ang mahusay na paglalarawan ni Joaquin sa mga eksena, lalo na sa paligid. Vivid naman.
Pero maliban d'yan, wala na. I therefore conclude na hindi ako fan ng fiction ni Joaquin. Maybe I should try reading his nonfiction works next, pero baka matagalan pa. Nababagot talaga kasi ako sa writing n'ya.
I mean, boring din naman ang writing nina Orhan Pamuk at Thomas Mann, pero may mararamdaman ka sa kuwento nila kahit boring ang nangyayari. Nasa delivery e. May astonishment at wonder. E dito kay Joaquin, ang primary emotion ko while reading was ennui. Sorry not sorry.
Read this novel if you want to learn about the past at kung nais mong malaman ang writing style ni Joaquin (at ng mga fictionist natin noon). Pero kung light reading at pure entertainment ang hanap mo, skip this.
May 11, 2021
Built from a volatile manner of story progression, The Woman Who Had Two Navels was likewise incorporated with torturous portraits of characters in superfluous depiction. Affected in symbolism, and as a result, lost in the meaning that was strained to an exhaustive degree.
War holds a severity of suffering that is indicative of the mental torture illustrated throughout the book, regardless of how distant or immediate the individual understanding of the subject matter it held was portrayed. It was in this respect that the significance of its general impact was substantiated, nonetheless, other critical themes that were contended left much to be desired, particularly the major concern on the authoritative effect the past bears against the present. There was an intemperance exhausted over constructing personal histories of characters that compromised the thematic implications of their circumstances, the capacity to scrutinize the weight of that regard was left indistinct on account of the relentless attention towards the most insignificant details.
In conclusion, this was fucking grating.
War holds a severity of suffering that is indicative of the mental torture illustrated throughout the book, regardless of how distant or immediate the individual understanding of the subject matter it held was portrayed. It was in this respect that the significance of its general impact was substantiated, nonetheless, other critical themes that were contended left much to be desired, particularly the major concern on the authoritative effect the past bears against the present. There was an intemperance exhausted over constructing personal histories of characters that compromised the thematic implications of their circumstances, the capacity to scrutinize the weight of that regard was left indistinct on account of the relentless attention towards the most insignificant details.
In conclusion, this was fucking grating.
December 12, 2018
One of the best collection of short stories (and play) I've read. And Summer Solstice is actually my favorite thing I've read of all time.
December 19, 2018
I closed this book with my mind brimming with questions and thoughts, and it's a testament to the density and complexity of such a short novel. It also is remarkably interested in and tender towards its characters, even the ones who aren't the ostensible leads. I love how it renders the question at its heart—Does Connie Escobar have two navels?— and how that question is almost beside the point by the end.
On a writerly note, I find it really helpful for my own work. I've been concerned about depicting Metro Manila accurately, whatever that means, but Joaquin has a way of capturing the essence of the city without necessarily getting nitty-gritty with the details.
On a writerly note, I find it really helpful for my own work. I've been concerned about depicting Metro Manila accurately, whatever that means, but Joaquin has a way of capturing the essence of the city without necessarily getting nitty-gritty with the details.
August 4, 2019
I’m on a high right now and my mind is churning with the twists and turns of this amazing novel. Very different from any other Joaquin stories I’ve read so far, this novel spans several generations based on Philippine history from the early 1900s with heavy relevance on the present day.
It started out slow and intriguing but became more and more murky ... then BAM!!! I was surprised as hell as the story came to it revelations and the bittersweet conclusion. This is provocative with its depth and openness to interpretation ... I can’t wait to read other reviews now that I am just brimming with questions! Enough of a glowing review - go get a copy!
It started out slow and intriguing but became more and more murky ... then BAM!!! I was surprised as hell as the story came to it revelations and the bittersweet conclusion. This is provocative with its depth and openness to interpretation ... I can’t wait to read other reviews now that I am just brimming with questions! Enough of a glowing review - go get a copy!
January 23, 2009
Considered as one of the best Philippine works of fiction in English, I found that I did not enjoy reading this work as much as I hoped to. At some point, I kept reading in the hopes that the story would become more interesting or that there would be some structure that would make more sense out of the story.
March 5, 2011
I read this when I was 8 years old or so, so I didn't really understand what it actually meant. Although, I thought it was rather excellent when I read it. I should probably re-read it sometime. I hope I can get a copy when I go back to the Philippines, since the two copies I had left was destroyed by Ondoy.
February 19, 2012
another high-school-compliance-read-this-or-else-zero-grade-in-report-card!
Good read. Concept of incepting an idea to a Filipino mind is not so great since the two-navel idea is not a good comparison with a typical Pinoy with two (or more) identities.
Little did I know is that the navels served as metaphor. :)
Good read. Concept of incepting an idea to a Filipino mind is not so great since the two-navel idea is not a good comparison with a typical Pinoy with two (or more) identities.
Little did I know is that the navels served as metaphor. :)
Read
August 30, 2008the words are really deep but it expresses such meaning...whop thought that two navels actually meant rebirths? It took a lot of effort to make me realize that...
March 3, 2011
This book's plot really dragged, but it was the "best" Filipino literature that I have read. Personally, I think it would be better if it was written as a short story with like, twenty or so pages.
December 13, 2019
I forgot to count this in the meager list of books I read during my hiatus. This was one the options for my final literary paper for school, but as I stated in a previous review, I went with Ocean With the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman instead. I really wanted to write about a Filipino novel, but Nick Joaquin unfortunately didn't dazzle me here as much as he did with previous stories of his.
Joaquin's trademark magical realism isn't present here, except perhaps via psychological perception, which is already a bit of a disappointment for me. I find the man's use of the supernatural to be the central thing that draws me to his writing, so the odds were already against him this time around; of course, his best work is Portrait of the Artist as a Filipino, which doesn't really fit into that category, either, but Portrait's existence as a play does more justice to the human drama in it than how The Woman Who Had Two Navels ends up unraveling. Its cast is certainly more interesting than not, which is always a move in Joaquin's favor, and there's still a lot of great conflict in between them that'll also be fascinating for everybody who reads Joaquin for his post-colonial themes, but its actual plot is paced sloppily enough for the novel's potential to be lost in confusion. I got that the entire story was supposed to be an entire metaphor for the Philippines and its reliance on foreign powers, but the similarities between Connie's dilemmas and that of the nation's would have been much more properly illustrated in the plot if Joaquin had given her character arc some time to breathe. There are issues of pacing and of clarity here that were just too glaring for me to try and resolve.
I think I might have absorbed The Woman With Two Navels better if I wasn't cramming the entire book in one afternoon, but overall, I wasn't satisfied with how the risks it took eventually ended up transforming in ambiguities that weren't convincing enough for me to be haunted by. There was much about the novel that made me want to analyze it more, but as a source of entertainment, it didn't fire me up as much as it should have. It's still an important example of Filipino literature written in English, and I don't regret spending time on it, but the novel spreads a gap too wide in between its textual content and its plot's execution. In short, Portrait of the Artist >
Joaquin's trademark magical realism isn't present here, except perhaps via psychological perception, which is already a bit of a disappointment for me. I find the man's use of the supernatural to be the central thing that draws me to his writing, so the odds were already against him this time around; of course, his best work is Portrait of the Artist as a Filipino, which doesn't really fit into that category, either, but Portrait's existence as a play does more justice to the human drama in it than how The Woman Who Had Two Navels ends up unraveling. Its cast is certainly more interesting than not, which is always a move in Joaquin's favor, and there's still a lot of great conflict in between them that'll also be fascinating for everybody who reads Joaquin for his post-colonial themes, but its actual plot is paced sloppily enough for the novel's potential to be lost in confusion. I got that the entire story was supposed to be an entire metaphor for the Philippines and its reliance on foreign powers, but the similarities between Connie's dilemmas and that of the nation's would have been much more properly illustrated in the plot if Joaquin had given her character arc some time to breathe. There are issues of pacing and of clarity here that were just too glaring for me to try and resolve.
I think I might have absorbed The Woman With Two Navels better if I wasn't cramming the entire book in one afternoon, but overall, I wasn't satisfied with how the risks it took eventually ended up transforming in ambiguities that weren't convincing enough for me to be haunted by. There was much about the novel that made me want to analyze it more, but as a source of entertainment, it didn't fire me up as much as it should have. It's still an important example of Filipino literature written in English, and I don't regret spending time on it, but the novel spreads a gap too wide in between its textual content and its plot's execution. In short, Portrait of the Artist >
April 21, 2024
“And we’d rather have her dead than have our rules placed in question, wouldn’t we?” - Father Tony
This was the line that left a great mark in my mind while reading this and it made me think about it for days.
Nick Joaquin was a National Artist for the Philippines and this is the first novel that I read from him. I had my expectations high as this is also my first Filipino novel. Thankfully, it wasn't shattered.
The plot was absolutely attention-getting for someone like me whose only reason I read it was because I need to do a report for it for my college class. It surprised me when I realized that I was not reading it anymore just so I know what to write for my discussion, but I was genuinely hooked into the story. Characters are well written, especially Concha and Tony. I like how it opens a lot of problems and challenges people are facing while also not losing the main conflict and actually resolving it in a way readers would not get overwhelmed.
But, the reason why I gave it 4 stars was because towards the end, it was surprising to see Paco’s decision. It surprised me in a bad way, because there weren't any moments that showed Paco’s and what led him to that decision. (Or, did I miss it, even after reading it twice?) Mary, on the other hand, had even at least some. So, I was expecting and actually believed that the decision would come from her. He also didn’t explain the reaction and call of Mary towards the end.
As someone whose first language isn’t English, it was also quite challenging to read his style of describing the surroundings and narrating the story and immediately know the meaning of the unfamiliar words. I sometimes have to pause in the middle of reading to search for these words in order to continue. Even though I do think that I’ve learned a lot of new vocabulary thanks to that, I can’t still deny the fact that it was hard to read and search and read again.
I would still recommend this book to someone who wanted to read something about self-enlightenment and self-love. This story has a great representation of someone who just wanted to be loved to the point of destroying themselves and everyone around them.
This was the line that left a great mark in my mind while reading this and it made me think about it for days.
Nick Joaquin was a National Artist for the Philippines and this is the first novel that I read from him. I had my expectations high as this is also my first Filipino novel. Thankfully, it wasn't shattered.
The plot was absolutely attention-getting for someone like me whose only reason I read it was because I need to do a report for it for my college class. It surprised me when I realized that I was not reading it anymore just so I know what to write for my discussion, but I was genuinely hooked into the story. Characters are well written, especially Concha and Tony. I like how it opens a lot of problems and challenges people are facing while also not losing the main conflict and actually resolving it in a way readers would not get overwhelmed.
But, the reason why I gave it 4 stars was because towards the end, it was surprising to see Paco’s decision. It surprised me in a bad way, because there weren't any moments that showed Paco’s and what led him to that decision. (Or, did I miss it, even after reading it twice?) Mary, on the other hand, had even at least some. So, I was expecting and actually believed that the decision would come from her. He also didn’t explain the reaction and call of Mary towards the end.
As someone whose first language isn’t English, it was also quite challenging to read his style of describing the surroundings and narrating the story and immediately know the meaning of the unfamiliar words. I sometimes have to pause in the middle of reading to search for these words in order to continue. Even though I do think that I’ve learned a lot of new vocabulary thanks to that, I can’t still deny the fact that it was hard to read and search and read again.
I would still recommend this book to someone who wanted to read something about self-enlightenment and self-love. This story has a great representation of someone who just wanted to be loved to the point of destroying themselves and everyone around them.
June 1, 2022
Book 14 out of 200 books
"The Woman Who Had Two Navels" by Nick Joaquin
"The Identity of the Filipino today is asking what is his identity."- Nick Joaquin
Nick Joaquin's sentimental classic "The Woman Who Had Two Navels" explores the dire, bleakness and somewhat, sexuality of Conchita- a woman hallucinating and brooding throughout the entire novel. She has "two navels" as the main plot of the novel. The other subplots include a romance between a married man in this story and the exploration of Philippine cultural heritage in Hong Kong.
MY THOUGHTS:
This was a weird classic to read and I just wanted to forget all about this book. But What I am pointing out is... Why is this novel so bleak and poorly structured?
I liked Nick Joaquin's "A Question of Heroes" and other non-fictions more than his fiction works. I admire his effort in preserving Philippine culture in times of peril but I disliked this book.
I feel glad of actually forgetting the plots of this book because of how weird really is this whole book. The only plot I remembered where the plot takes the reader to Hong Kong and tales the story of Father Tony, a Chinoy (Filipino-Chinese) priest who helps in the *Exorcism (I couldn't really remember) of the main character, Conchita and takes her back to reality.
Anyway, 3 stars for this book because it does deserve love and praise, at least.
"The Woman Who Had Two Navels" by Nick Joaquin
"The Identity of the Filipino today is asking what is his identity."- Nick Joaquin
Nick Joaquin's sentimental classic "The Woman Who Had Two Navels" explores the dire, bleakness and somewhat, sexuality of Conchita- a woman hallucinating and brooding throughout the entire novel. She has "two navels" as the main plot of the novel. The other subplots include a romance between a married man in this story and the exploration of Philippine cultural heritage in Hong Kong.
MY THOUGHTS:
This was a weird classic to read and I just wanted to forget all about this book. But What I am pointing out is... Why is this novel so bleak and poorly structured?
I liked Nick Joaquin's "A Question of Heroes" and other non-fictions more than his fiction works. I admire his effort in preserving Philippine culture in times of peril but I disliked this book.
I feel glad of actually forgetting the plots of this book because of how weird really is this whole book. The only plot I remembered where the plot takes the reader to Hong Kong and tales the story of Father Tony, a Chinoy (Filipino-Chinese) priest who helps in the *Exorcism (I couldn't really remember) of the main character, Conchita and takes her back to reality.
Anyway, 3 stars for this book because it does deserve love and praise, at least.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2023
"The Woman Who Had Two Navels" by Nick Joaquin is a complex and thought-provoking novel that delves into the intricacies of identity, history, and the consequences of colonialism in the Philippines. Set against the backdrop of post-World War II Manila, the story revolves around the enigmatic character of New Yorker Agueda, who believes she possesses two navels—a symbolic representation of her dual heritage and complex identity.
Joaquin weaves a narrative that blends elements of magic realism with historical and psychological insights. The novel explores the impact of Spanish and American colonization on Filipino culture and psyche, presenting a rich tapestry of characters and events that mirror the nation's struggle for self-discovery and independence.
Through Agueda's journey, readers are taken on a surreal and introspective exploration of personal and national identity. Joaquin's prose is both poetic and profound, inviting readers to contemplate the complexities of the Filipino experience and the lingering effects of a tumultuous colonial past.
"The Woman Who Had Two Navels" has earned acclaim for its literary depth and its ability to capture the nuances of Philippine society. It stands as a significant work in Philippine literature, offering a unique perspective on cultural identity, historical consciousness, and the ongoing search for selfhood.
Joaquin weaves a narrative that blends elements of magic realism with historical and psychological insights. The novel explores the impact of Spanish and American colonization on Filipino culture and psyche, presenting a rich tapestry of characters and events that mirror the nation's struggle for self-discovery and independence.
Through Agueda's journey, readers are taken on a surreal and introspective exploration of personal and national identity. Joaquin's prose is both poetic and profound, inviting readers to contemplate the complexities of the Filipino experience and the lingering effects of a tumultuous colonial past.
"The Woman Who Had Two Navels" has earned acclaim for its literary depth and its ability to capture the nuances of Philippine society. It stands as a significant work in Philippine literature, offering a unique perspective on cultural identity, historical consciousness, and the ongoing search for selfhood.
September 3, 2021
I was first introduced to the works of Nick Joaquin in first year high school when our class was divided into groups and each group had to put on a play of May Day Eve to get to know his work. I found May Day Eve brilliant with imagery. The twist of the witch and the devil in the mirror, an old husband and wife's metaphors to demonstrate the animosity in their marriage was a whimsical way to tell a story, I thought. With my newfound appreciation for Nick Joaquin, I bought The Woman Who Had Two Navels and left it sitting on my shelf for 20 years.
Throughout the years I tried to pick it up a few times but it failed to capture my attention for long for the same reason I now give it three stars: it doesn't have a clear or captivating plot.
The book was divided according to the various characters' backstories, making it appear that the characters' few actions in the present stem from a distant past. The fact that the book was arranged according to character leads me to believe that the author intended it to be character-driven (as opposed to plot-driven). Plotting--the sequencing of events based on character movements--was not clearly established in the book. Plotting plays second fiddle to characterization. But if that's the case, then why do I still feel like I don't know much about the characters despite being given large chunks of their backstories one character at a time? Could it be because their inner motivations are lacking in the narrative?
The story in main is told by Pepe Monson, a friend of Paco Texeira's and of one of Connie's acquaintances. It was Connie's arrival at Pepe's office claiming that she has two navels that sets the story in motion, so it seems that Pepe would have a large role in the story, but it appears Pepe's only role in fact is to connect the cast of characters; a supporting role. What does Pepe Monson want? It seems that Pepe doesn't do much except get swept up in the mother and daughter's chaos.
What exactly did Connie, "the woman who had two navels," want? Was it Paco Texeira, the handsome but married band leader who both she and her mother were at tug of war to seduce? By the end of the novel it seems so. Was it to break free from the clutches of her "The Graduate" mother? Probably. A compelling want or desire usually drives the plot forward, but what Connie wants isn't made clear by either her declarations or her actions. Neither are her mother's intentions clear.
What are Paco Texeira's and the rest of the cast of characters' aims? It seems that things are merely happening to most of them. Most of them appear passive instead of active. Nick Joaquin is a puppeteer who seems to make his characters do anything he wants because the characters don't appear to have full motivations of their own.
The characters all talk alike; they all speak with the voice of Nick Joaquin, which makes it difficult to keep track of which character is speaking. It sometimes gets confusing.
Nevertheless, Nick Joaquin has an idiosychratic voice that makes his stories interesting. He has a quirky way of telling a story using metaphors.
Like watching a film by Woody Allen where every character talks like Woody Allen, reading The Woman Who Had Two Navels still works because of the writer-director's peculiarity. Nick Joaquin sounds like Nick Joaquin. He's fun, funny, and doesn't sound like anyone else. No other Filipino writer sounds like Nick Joaquin because of his dialogue and narration.
Not a lot of physical descriptions or features distinguishing each character from one another are given. The characters are somewhat fleshed out through their backstories, interactions with one another, reactions, and a few descriptions of their attire.
To hell with setting. Not a lot of setting descriptions are given. A few details are enough for the imagination to fill in the rest. It is sufficient to know that the character is in Hong Kong or in an office or by the harbor or by a temple or by a pond. Or let the narrator talk about handling the steering wheel of an automobile and the imagination will fill in the rest of the imagery details of driving outside. Place details or imagery descriptions are sparse and sometimes all there is are talking heads breezing through settings, but Nick Joaquin gets away with it because of his idiosynchratic storytelling, giving it a dream-like effect.
The number one setback of his idiosynchratic storytelling, however, is backstories. His characters are mostly built through backstories, which are generally burdensome to read through. There's a lot of thinking and remembering going on among the characters, very little of doing in the present. Possibly three-fourths or more of the book is backstories. And yet I think that is both its setback (what makes it drag along) and appeal (what makes it worth the read in the end), because what Nick Joaquin is really writing about is nostalgia, the longing for an imagined past.
Trudging through the heft of backstories to get through the book, as a result of how it's written you get a book mostly about the past. The past weighs heavily on the characters in the novel. By writing it this way, Nick Joaquin is able to convey the characters' wistful yearning to return to an irrecoverable past, the past of memory, or maybe the past of the imagination.
The novel is good despite being weighed down by backstory tonnage, because Nick Joaquin is quirky, witty, and writing about a woman who claims to have two navels. This makes the reader curious, why is Connie claiming to have two navels? It makes the reader wonder if it's possible for a person to have two navels, or if Connie is a bit crazy, or if her mother is right that she just wants attention. Regardless of which it is, her mother's reaction to her claiming to have two navels is very telling about the character of the mother, which in turn gives insight into the character of the daughter. Suspending disbelief regarding the possibility of two navels, the novel gives readers wiggle room for some mental fun.
That's my interpretation of the Woman Who Had Two Navels. Three solid stars. Some memorable characters. One memorable Nick Joaquin.
Throughout the years I tried to pick it up a few times but it failed to capture my attention for long for the same reason I now give it three stars: it doesn't have a clear or captivating plot.
The book was divided according to the various characters' backstories, making it appear that the characters' few actions in the present stem from a distant past. The fact that the book was arranged according to character leads me to believe that the author intended it to be character-driven (as opposed to plot-driven). Plotting--the sequencing of events based on character movements--was not clearly established in the book. Plotting plays second fiddle to characterization. But if that's the case, then why do I still feel like I don't know much about the characters despite being given large chunks of their backstories one character at a time? Could it be because their inner motivations are lacking in the narrative?
The story in main is told by Pepe Monson, a friend of Paco Texeira's and of one of Connie's acquaintances. It was Connie's arrival at Pepe's office claiming that she has two navels that sets the story in motion, so it seems that Pepe would have a large role in the story, but it appears Pepe's only role in fact is to connect the cast of characters; a supporting role. What does Pepe Monson want? It seems that Pepe doesn't do much except get swept up in the mother and daughter's chaos.
What exactly did Connie, "the woman who had two navels," want? Was it Paco Texeira, the handsome but married band leader who both she and her mother were at tug of war to seduce? By the end of the novel it seems so. Was it to break free from the clutches of her "The Graduate" mother? Probably. A compelling want or desire usually drives the plot forward, but what Connie wants isn't made clear by either her declarations or her actions. Neither are her mother's intentions clear.
What are Paco Texeira's and the rest of the cast of characters' aims? It seems that things are merely happening to most of them. Most of them appear passive instead of active. Nick Joaquin is a puppeteer who seems to make his characters do anything he wants because the characters don't appear to have full motivations of their own.
The characters all talk alike; they all speak with the voice of Nick Joaquin, which makes it difficult to keep track of which character is speaking. It sometimes gets confusing.
Nevertheless, Nick Joaquin has an idiosychratic voice that makes his stories interesting. He has a quirky way of telling a story using metaphors.
Like watching a film by Woody Allen where every character talks like Woody Allen, reading The Woman Who Had Two Navels still works because of the writer-director's peculiarity. Nick Joaquin sounds like Nick Joaquin. He's fun, funny, and doesn't sound like anyone else. No other Filipino writer sounds like Nick Joaquin because of his dialogue and narration.
Not a lot of physical descriptions or features distinguishing each character from one another are given. The characters are somewhat fleshed out through their backstories, interactions with one another, reactions, and a few descriptions of their attire.
To hell with setting. Not a lot of setting descriptions are given. A few details are enough for the imagination to fill in the rest. It is sufficient to know that the character is in Hong Kong or in an office or by the harbor or by a temple or by a pond. Or let the narrator talk about handling the steering wheel of an automobile and the imagination will fill in the rest of the imagery details of driving outside. Place details or imagery descriptions are sparse and sometimes all there is are talking heads breezing through settings, but Nick Joaquin gets away with it because of his idiosynchratic storytelling, giving it a dream-like effect.
The number one setback of his idiosynchratic storytelling, however, is backstories. His characters are mostly built through backstories, which are generally burdensome to read through. There's a lot of thinking and remembering going on among the characters, very little of doing in the present. Possibly three-fourths or more of the book is backstories. And yet I think that is both its setback (what makes it drag along) and appeal (what makes it worth the read in the end), because what Nick Joaquin is really writing about is nostalgia, the longing for an imagined past.
Trudging through the heft of backstories to get through the book, as a result of how it's written you get a book mostly about the past. The past weighs heavily on the characters in the novel. By writing it this way, Nick Joaquin is able to convey the characters' wistful yearning to return to an irrecoverable past, the past of memory, or maybe the past of the imagination.
The novel is good despite being weighed down by backstory tonnage, because Nick Joaquin is quirky, witty, and writing about a woman who claims to have two navels. This makes the reader curious, why is Connie claiming to have two navels? It makes the reader wonder if it's possible for a person to have two navels, or if Connie is a bit crazy, or if her mother is right that she just wants attention. Regardless of which it is, her mother's reaction to her claiming to have two navels is very telling about the character of the mother, which in turn gives insight into the character of the daughter. Suspending disbelief regarding the possibility of two navels, the novel gives readers wiggle room for some mental fun.
That's my interpretation of the Woman Who Had Two Navels. Three solid stars. Some memorable characters. One memorable Nick Joaquin.
May 24, 2023
im at a loss for words. theres so many points to talk about but i dont know where to start. idedescribe ko nalang nafefeel ko rn.
diko expect na i would finish reading this kasi i found it boring at first. "oh ok delusional women, so what?" pero GRABE! im so glad na i did finish it. one word to describe this book: CRAZY. done. actually its sad. pero not like crying-sad pero like its sad-that-they-have-to-go-thru-all-that-sad. bruh. nick joaquin's the GOAT. i enjoyed those connie escobar going delulu parts na idk if what im reading is real or sa mind lang niya. its crazy. dialogues: chef's kiss. crazy fr. the characters are so dynamic. like i want to hate them pero i cant??? they feel like people. people who went thru shit na u cant help but not hate them pero u dont love them. basta feelings are there idk.
grabe nung 2nd half ng book, nung naestablish na ung characters, plot, and all, GUSTO KO ANNOTATE. GANDA REAL. feel ko ilalagay ko to sa reread list ko. i enjoyed it. please read this book.
diko expect na i would finish reading this kasi i found it boring at first. "oh ok delusional women, so what?" pero GRABE! im so glad na i did finish it. one word to describe this book: CRAZY. done. actually its sad. pero not like crying-sad pero like its sad-that-they-have-to-go-thru-all-that-sad. bruh. nick joaquin's the GOAT. i enjoyed those connie escobar going delulu parts na idk if what im reading is real or sa mind lang niya. its crazy. dialogues: chef's kiss. crazy fr. the characters are so dynamic. like i want to hate them pero i cant??? they feel like people. people who went thru shit na u cant help but not hate them pero u dont love them. basta feelings are there idk.
grabe nung 2nd half ng book, nung naestablish na ung characters, plot, and all, GUSTO KO ANNOTATE. GANDA REAL. feel ko ilalagay ko to sa reread list ko. i enjoyed it. please read this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2023
It's a challenging read and I found the weaving in and out between past and present a bit more so. However, the writing in those parts were quite beautiful. I found myself quite confused at times but I wonder if that was intentional. The main character Conchita is also confused for much of the story, I may have been as confused as she was at some parts. Overall a pretty good read. Some books greatly deserve another reading to completely grasp the story. I think this may be one of those books.
February 28, 2023
A story I had not expected. It gives off a sense of nostalgia for people who have left the Motherland (the Philippines), or even for those who have never thought so fondly of the country otherwise. It speaks a startling truth that the way we live in this present society is thanks to the generations before us, and how coming to terms with that reality can sometimes be difficult to accept for those who truly wish to dwell on it.
October 9, 2017
I do not have enough words. Review to follow.
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