Unfortunately, this book is based on real events, making it all the more emotional and captivating. The author’s depiction of what it’s like for the family of those lost to drugs is heartbreaking; the main character, Jay, cannot believe that someone he was so close to could fall into such awful habits, and that’s such an important message.
It’s hard to believe that our loved ones can ever do anything wrong, and Jay’s guilt over his cousin’s fate is also very realistic. His cousin, Jun, is killed in a drug war that is actually occurring in the Philippines. Jay travels there over his spring break because he is unable to believe that his cousin truly did drugs, and he tries to uncover the truth that he thinks his uncle is hiding.
The rocky relationship between Jun and his father and Jay and his Tito Maning is very interesting. Part of the reason Jun falls into drugs is because of his relationship with his family, and his father especially. He has no one to talk to besides his cousin who lives in America, and it’s definitely easier to depend on substances when one has no emotional support. Tito Maning is a police officer who worships the president who is calling for a drug war and the murder of millions, and like Jun, Jay is constantly at odds with him. The thing is, both make good points about what goes on in the Philippines. Although murder is obviously never acceptable, the author shows readers how supporters of President Duterte think through Maning’s arguments; he tells Jay of all the ways the president has improved the country and how something had to be done about the destructive influence of drugs on the country.
Maning’s constant shaming of Jay for not knowing anything about his culture also adds interest to the story. This comes up often, with Jay not knowing how to speak Tagalog and knowing little about customs and traditions in the Philippines. His elders frequently tell him he cannot make judgments on the events going on there, since he does not live there, which I found to be controversial. Often in history this is important, since if other countries didn’t interfere when something big was going on in a country other than their own, many could be left to suffer and die.
This book makes many good points about the reality of life in other countries and what it’s like to reconnect with one’s culture, also keeping me interested with the powerful story of Jay grappling with his guilt over his cousin’s death.