Wow. Great story. I loved the intertwined viewpoints, the variety of voices. It's hard to pinpoint a genre, or style, or even an ultimate resolution to the story. There are as many questions as answers, I think. It feels both real & surreal at the same time; I sometimes felt an effect not unlike sta...
I tried. I really tried to like this. I am supposed to like this. The critics rave, this book is brilliant they say. Well, his brilliance must be blinding coz I can't see it. There are good bits of writing, some nice phrasing etc, but it doesn't hang together. He is so busy listening to his own voic...
Ilustrado is a novel full of and about fakes. The fragments that make up the book are themselves knockoffs of different genres--murder mystery, satire, interviews from The Paris Review, everything but the kitchen sink. Miguel Syjuco's brassy debut novel turns on its head the first accusation thrown ...
Full review here:http://guiltlessreading.blogspot.com/2011/05/ilustrado-by-miguel-syjuco.htmlThis feels like a huge inside joke. And being Filipino drives home the punchline just like an arrow to the heart. The book in one sentence: Young Filipino writer Miguel Syjuco seeks the truth about the death...
Constantly blurring our perception of what’s real, Illustrado becomes part metaphysical detective novel enthralled to Jorge Luis Borges, part satire on Philippine society (or at least the part of it the author has intimate knowledge of). This is a wonderful fantastical debut novel, whether it’s the...
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