by BJ Medina

THE STORY

A collection of stories about goodbyes without your typical #hugot lines.

Just when every book, film and even those social media posts concerning relationships and their bittersweet endings you see on your brokenhearted friend’s wall tend to have those, I came into the possession of a book about farewells, told in a different manner.

A little girl is told her father is Peter Pan. Her innocence allows her to patiently wait for her father to come home from Neverland.

A young boy stumbles upon a family secret about his beloved sister. Just when his family seems to fall apart, a family where he truly belongs arises.

A story about a crash-landing astronaut fulfilling the dream of her brother is told through communication logs.

A futuristic Philippines find a way to solve the issue about informal settlers using a DSLR that is not what it seems to be

A depleting tribe of fire bird-humans tries to rise from the ashes brought upon by humans and their penchant for the exotic.

An unusual summer romance between an aspiring rock star and a flesh-eater.

A scientific expedition about the existence of mermaids brings back memories of her youth.

A group of siblings leaves a time capsule before bidding goodbye to their “home.”

Have you imagined a world where breathable oxygens are no longer available outside your house?

Nine poignant stories, all encapsulated in a small book. Never judge a book by its size.

WHAT I LIKED

This book deserves to be read. It’s not perfect, of course, with a couple of typographical errors in it. But what I can vouch for is that when traveling along the metropolis requires you to leave early and arrive at your destination late, each one of us deserves a form of escapism from this reality.

We need to be taken elsewhere, be it a fishing village with mermaids, inside a rocket ship en route to a distant planet, or a future where people wear helmets just to survive, and what it’s like to sing the national anthem for the first time after a long time.

The author, Carmela Isabel Evangelista at a young age of 16, created a collection of stories that seem to have a strong theme about separation, but managed to present it in a way that rather than weep out of sorrow, leaves you into tears out of wonder.

My favorite part of this anthology was “Land of the Morning.” The “Bayang” line sent me shivers. Completely unexpected, but much enjoyed every part of it, I wondered what the students at the Philippine High School for the Arts eat. Maybe if I ate the same, it would allow me to come up with these narratives as well.

tl;dr

Stories about goodbyes and new endeavors set in either the present day or in a distant future with elements of fantasy and science fiction. ☁

Bookbed received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Read our Review Policy here.