The Descartes Highlands by Eric Gamalinda

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"Darkly spellbinding...With a keen eye for splendor amid the grotesque, Gamalinda writes with a poet's heart and a philosopher's mind, while enthralling readers with emotional, gritty. Booklist "It's Gamalinda's best and most accessible novel yet, deserving to be read by as many people as possible." Philippine Daily Inquirer "The wait for Gamalinda's first US based publication was well worth [it]...An indispensable, powerful portrayal of broken families trapped in the centripetal forces of transnational capital and postcolonial politics." Asian American Literature Fans "A mesmerizing story full of mystery...intricate...beautiful writing." Publishers Weekly Two men, each unaware of the other, share a common family secret: they were sold for adoption by their American father shortly after their births in the Philippines. Three alternating stories interweave the experiences of father Andrew Breszky and the two sons who try to connect and piece together the puzzle of their reckless, impulsive father. One lives in New York and the other grows up in the south of France, later traveling all over Asia as a documentary filmmaker. Both will discover that their relationships somehow echo that of the young man whose history eludes them. Celebrated Filipino writer Eric Gamalinda's international debut novel is a contemporary work of ideas that combines mystery, film noir, and existential philosophy. Highly intricate and written in a style reminiscent of the maverick narrative techniques of such filmmakers as Andrei Tarkovsky and B̩la Tarr, and with some of the philosophical underpinnings of Michel Houellebecq or Javier MarÌ_as. Named after the region of the moon where Apollo 16 landed in the same year these men were born, The Descartes Highlands demonstrates that for lives marked by unrelieved loneliness, the only hope lies in the redemptive power of love.

About the Author
Born and raised in Manila and currently living in New York City, Eric Gamalinda is the author of five novels that revolve around a common theme: an examination of the Filipinos soul and identity, and their struggle to make sense of a complicated history often marked by hardship and brutality, but also love and beauty. He was publications director of the Asian American Writers Workshop until 1997, Distinguished Visiting Writer at the University of Hawaii in Manoa in 1999, and Visiting Scholar at New York University's Asia Pacific American Studies Program in 2002-03. He currently teaches at Columbia University's Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race.

Item Weight : 10.9 ounces
Paperback : 300 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-16-1-775304-6
Product Dimensions : 5.2 x 1 x 8.2 inches
Publisher : Akashic Books (November 4, 2014)
Language: : English