Mourning the recent loss of his mother, twentysomething Benicio—aka Benny—travels to Manila to reconnect with his estranged father, Howard. But when he arrives his father is nowhere to be found—leaving an irritated son to conclude that Howard has let him down for the umpteenth time. However, his father has actually been kidnapped by a meth-addled cabdriver, with grand plans to sell him to local terrorists as bait in the country’s never-ending power struggle between insurgents, separatists, and “democratic” muscle.
Benicio’s search for Howard reveals more about his father’s womanizing ways and suspicious business deals, reopening the old hurts that he’d hoped to mend. Interspersed with the son’s inquiry and the father’s calamitous life in captivity are the high-octane interconnecting narratives of Reynato Ocampo, the local celebrity-hero policeman charged with rescuing Howard; Ocampo’s ragtag team of wizardry-infused soldiers; and Monique, a novice officer at the American embassy whose family still feels feverishly unmoored in the Philippines.
With blistering forward momentum, crackling dialogue, wonderfully bizarre turns, and glimpses into both Filipino and expat culture, the novel marches toward a stunning climax, which ultimately challenges our conventional ideas of family and identity and introduces Yates as a powerful new voice in contemporary literature.
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU PUBLICLY FOLLOW THIS
BLOG (IF NOT, GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT ON RIGHT SIDE).
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK.
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER.
*REMEMBER TO INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR ALL ENTRIES.
Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners via publisher,
agent and/or author. This blog hosts the giveaway on behalf of the
above. I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in
exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are
ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
I am not responsible for lost or damaged books that are shipped
from agents. I reserve the right to disqualify/delete any entries
if rules of giveaway are not followed
When I think of a conventional family, I think of the 1950s nuclear family from Leave It to Beaver. Fortunately, far more forms of family are acceptable in society today!
Thank you for the giveaway 🙂
hurdler4eva(at)gmail(dot)com
I follow your blog publicly with google friend connect
Thank you for the giveaway 🙂
hurdler4eva(at)gmail(dot)com
I follow/like you on Facebook – my FB name is Amanda Moore
Thank you for the giveaway 🙂
hurdler4eva(at)gmail(dot)com
Conventional family today is different from that of the time I grew up. Today I think famiy could include really good friends who have your back and your front if needed. Families are so splintered aand I think the true family are the people closest to you.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net
I follow your blog via GFC
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net
A follower
tributebooksmama at gmail dot com
I am a follower. Tore923@aol.com
I am an email subscriber. Tore923@aol.com
When I think of a conventional family I think of the Brady Bunch. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com
I think of a conventional family as the typical home idea – a loving mother, a hardworking father, and maybe a couple bratty siblings that no matter what you say – in the end you really do love them.
blissfulrains(at)yahoo(dot)com
Following via Twitter (@neku234)
blissfulrains(at)yahoo(dot)com
I think the conventional family is family members related by blood or not who accept and love each other. helenkeeler@comcast.net
i think of a conventional family like leave it to beaver a family that mom stays home as a homemaker and dad works to support the family surely not like most of them today are
amhengstATverizonDOTnet
I think a conventional family means a mom, a dad, 2.5 kids, a dog
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
GFC Follower
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
I like you on Facebook
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
I follow you on Twitter
@NancyeDavis
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
Unconditional Love!
theyyyguy@yahoo.com
a family would be one or more parents with children.
A convention family means to me is a family where you have a mom and a dad. The dad works and the mom stays home to take care of the kids and house.
cranky30[at]hotmail[dot]com
I think of a conventional family and a mom and dad, two or three kids, a cat and dog and the mom drives a minivan.
kerrie@mayansfamily.com
I follow you on gfc as degood.
kerrie@mayansfamily.com
I follow you on twitter as kmayans
kerrie@mayansfamily.com
A Conventional Family means to me where you have a mom and dad who at least one of them has a steady job.
jim.coyne2@verizon.net
i follow via GFC
jim.coyne2@verizon.net
i like you on facebook
jim.coyne2@verizon.net
i follow you on twitter
@JCoyne1031
jim.coyne2@verizon.net
I am a GFC follower ERin Cook and I think a conventional family is the family of four one boy, one girl and a father that works while the mother cooks and cleans
cookster77@aol.com
like you on facebook Erin Cook
cookster77@aol.com
follow you on twitter @cooks1978
cookster77@aol.com
I follow via google and sounds like an interesting read
Diane Baum
esldiane@gmail.com
gfc follower
deadmonkeys90@yahoo.com
fb fan of u brittany r
deadmonkeys90@yahoo.com
followin u on twitter @deadmonkeys90
deadmonkeys90@yahoo.com
conventional family means husband, wife and children to me
susansmoaks at gmail dot com
Conventional is mom, dad, 2 kids, and a dog.
pandahugger(at)gmail(dot)com
My first thought is a conventional family means a husband wife and children who are living together. garrettsambo@aol.com
I think of a conventional family as a Mom and Dad and kids. The modern family now could be any combinations of Mother, Father, Siblings, Step Siblings, Grandmothers.
Jesskaufman at hotmail dot com
Follow on GFC as Mac Mom
Jesskaufman at hotmail dot com
I Follow on GFC as mac Mom
Jesskaufman at hotmail dot com