First edition | |
Author | Peter Bacho |
---|---|
Language | English |
Publisher | University of Washington Press |
Publication date | November 1991 |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
Pages | 205 pp |
ISBN | 978-0-295-97113-1 |
OCLC | 23143902 |
813/.54 20 | |
LC Class | PS3552.A2573 C4 1991 |
Cebu is a 1991 first novel by Filipino American author Peter Reme Bacho the "most visible figure" of second-generation, native-born Filipino American writing [1] and one of several Seattle novelists in the 1990s to explore the racial history and sociology of Seattle. [2] The novel is also "the first novel about a Filipino American who identifies primarily with US localities," rather than with the Philippines. [3]
The story follows Ben Lucero, an American priest of Filipino descent, who travels to the Philippines for the first time following the death of his mother in 1983. Ben accompanies her body to Cebu for burial, where he stays with his mother’s lifelong friend, Clara Natividad. Clara, once a guerrilla fighter during World War II, has since become a wealthy businesswoman, though her fortune is marked by morally ambiguous decisions.
In Cebu and Manila, Ben navigates Philippine culture, family history, and political unrest. He witnesses both the richness of local traditions and the violence surrounding U.S. influence, including a protest at the U.S. Embassy in Manila that turns deadly. During his stay, he spends time with Clara’s assistant, Ellen, reflecting on the ethical and cultural tensions he encounters.
Returning to Seattle, Ben faces challenges within the Filipino immigrant community, confronting cycles of violence and social conflict. He struggles to reconcile his identity as both Filipino and American, feeling like an outsider in both contexts.
Structure
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The novel features themes around the differences between American and Philippine culture and between American and Philippine Roman Catholicism. Other themes covered include the history of the Philippines from the final days of World War II, the effect of American presence in the country, and the difference between American-born Filipinos and Filipino immigrants and neocolonialism. The Philippine concept of "barkada", a notion of loyalty to one's peer group, plays an important role in his experiences in Seattle after his return. The novel follows the protagonist's sexual repression and bifurcated notion of home. Bacho’s vision is darkly comic, and he refuses to sentimentalize this demanding material. Ben’s return to his homeland ends with a reaffirmation of his Filipino American identity
It is often discussed in scholarly surveys of Filipino American literature, alongside such seminal works as Carlos Bulosan's America Is in the Heart and Jessica Hagedorn's Dogeaters . [4]
Besides the descriptions of life in Cebu City and Manila, the novel refers to the general history of the Philippines from the time of Japanese control to the beginning of the revolt against the Marcos regime, including the student protests at American Embassy in 1970.
The novel won the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation in 1992.
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