by KB Meniado

THE STORY

SPACE.
When Elay’s
Nanay
decided
to
pack her bags,
board the airplane
and fly back
to Manila,

TIME.
Elay’s glorious hours of
guitar-playing,
exam-flunking,
Facebook viewing,
Justin-drearming
slowly
decreased
to
zero.

FORCE
The harder she struggled
to return to how things were,

DISPLACEMENT.
the greater the forces
that took her farther. Read reviews: Goodreads

WHAT I LIKED

I got my fill of Filipino-ness from this book—there’s the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) angle, the extended family factor, the text messaging addiction and the always fun ~hayskul layf.

But more than those, I liked the way the story unfolded because it showed how difficult changes are, especially for those who are still so young like Elay. Aside from her inner struggles, her confusion, discomfort and insecurities, Elay also had to deal with external issues, such as her interpersonal relationships.

On the “form” side of the matter, I’m not that well-versed in discussing poetic structures, etc., but I liked the style of writing, and the pace of the story was just right.

tl;dr

Going through a phase? Feeling like your life is over? Trying to understand changes? Stop wallowing and read Displaced by Aneka Rodriguez. It will remind you to believe that everything happens for a reason, so just hold on dearly. ☁