Different Countries

by Clarissa V. Militante

A novel in the social-realist tradition.

170 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Clarissa V. Militant, an AB Literature at the De La Salle University, Manila (1985) undergraduate, started writing as a journalist.

Her debut novel "Different Countries" had been long-listed in the 2009 Man Asia Literary Prize and was published by Anvil Publishing in 2010. It was also a finalist in the 2011 UP Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award.

Reviews

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best Philippine novels in English that I've read so far. It's well-written, almost faultless. It is neither melodramatic nor mushy. Definitely interesting enough for me to read and finish almost without letup. Easy to read and almost all the characters are memorable and they seem to spring out from pages as if they are real like the relatives you have in the province or your ancestors whose stories you heard from your parents. In fact, if I would be a writer, I'd like to write something like this but I will just loosen up the plot a little bit and be more gender-sensitive.

It is a story of a family Magallanes in four generations. Magallanes was the surname of Ferdinand Magellan who according to our history books "discovered" the Philippines. Like Magellan, all the male characters in this book suck: philandering, ambition-less or end up being killed. In contrast, all the female characters are given their highlights either each of them become triumphant or at least stands on what they believe in. The dramatis personnae are listed on the page prior to the start of the story starting from the partriach to the minor characters. However, the storytelling is done in reverse with the opening scenes starting with the great-granddaughter Nora (whose named after Nora Aunor, who missed winning this year's National Artist award for movies) and her aunt Katherine who is the granddaughter of the patriarch's mistress. So, I thought that the two would be narrating alternately up to the last page but surprise, surprise there are other narrators towards the end with even the dead Mercedes narrating from Katherine's dream.

My favorite part is the story of Teresa because she reminded me of my paternal grandmother who was also a leper in Culion during that time. She and my paternal grandfather also met in Culion, fell in love and had three children and the middle kid was my dad. They are all dead (my father passed away in 1997 from brain cancer) and Hansen's disease is not hereditary but I remember when I was growing up that we were not supposed to talk about this in public because some people were still ignorant and they might stay away from us.

If you don't know Tagalog (Filipino) and you want to sample a local contemporary novel in English, make it this one.

Highly recommended.

[Honeypie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know yet. I feel like there were too many characters, too many issues tackled. Which should I comment about?

It was okay. I'll go straight to the point. Honestly, I don't get the title. Can someone please explain to me?

Secondly, I felt that the stories were mashed up together, just for the sake of introducing [all] the characters. That being said, I think that there were too many characters, and not all of them seem to have that major (or even minor) contribution.

As I've said earlier, there were too many issues tackled. Not that I didn't like it. There was the life in the small towns in the province, where they face the challenges of dealing with military soldiers, and even landslides as where their houses are situated. There are also the story of the kids who run away to an island to 'escape', the leprosy stories, life in Manila and having a mistress.

Ang dami. Baka na-overwhelm lang ako sa dami ng stories or topics, that I can't pinpoint exactly what message CM is trying to impart.


I think that these are the kinds of books that I need to have a discussion with other people. Haha!

[Miguel · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Nora’s newly discovered tiya, Mercedes, disappears on Holy Wednesday, her world is thrown off balance. So she enlists the help of Katherine, a former journalist, who is weathering her own familial storms. Memories crash over memories; which one is mine and hers? Then on the island of Culion, leper country, set years before, Teresa’s young life is literally and figuratively disintegrating until she bears child, the antithesis of God’s judgment upon her.

Essentially three stories of three different women tied to one another by the same historical thread. Personally I like to think of this as two “books”: the main story, or where all the action begins/happens, and the backstory, a novella’s worth of rich context to the former but can easily stand on its own— and I was more captivated by this one. But I would like to revisit ‘Different Countries’ just because I feel like many of the events went over my head as the perspectives switched, and now I have hindsight as my pal and navigator.

[natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

my prof's book YESSS <3 really loved this one especially since it focused on the perspectives of children dealing with harsh realities. made me appreciate the act of reading & writing so much more knowing how powerful such tools are in the face of violence.

[Michael Nelmida · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got lost in the middle part. Living an island not knowingly your relative resides at the other...