The Betrayed by Reine Arcache Melvin
A novel about sisterhood, familial duties and love
"THE BETRAYED is destined to be a literary classic, not just for readers in the Philippines but literary lovers worldwideIts nuanced disquisition on the Filipino socio-political-economic elite—how many prove the adage 'Power corrupts'—become timeless observations and lessons on the general human condition. Melvin's elegant and sensual sentences also enhance reader empathy so that we end up caring about the characters even as we ultimately learn about ourselves. Yet it’s not only timeless but timely. The Philippines’ 2022 Presidential election highlight how the country is at an existential crossroads on whether its future development will progress or regress. But its reminder that suffering never ends only highlights the import of justice—how we must perpetually strive for its redemption.” * Eileen Tabios, writer, poet, and visual artist *
“[Melvin's] beautiful, sensual, visceral writing shows us that the past is not really a foreign country, but our own country in an eternal loop.” * Jessica Zafra, author of Twisted *
"Highly readable and enjoyable, it compellingly contains, in its confident tone and language, a powerful mosaic of images, characters, and relationships.” * Angelo R. Lacuesta *
“If, as poet-exile Czeslaw Milosz said, ‘language is the only homeland,’ then Melvin’s, The Betrayed is the soil we’ve been seeking—rich, elusive, yet ever-surging in our blood, bones, and breath. Told with the intimacy of a lover and with an historian’s sweeping, clear-eyed vision, it is the story of moral survival under the weight of political upheaval and human frailty. At the heart of this novel is love—of family, of motherland. Love that breaks barriers, crosses continents, transcends time. Fluid, poetic, and lush, these pages navigate our deepest longings, fears, and the relentless search for that one true thing in a ruined world.” * Angela Narciso Torres, author of What Happens is Neither and Blood Orange *
“In this story of contemporary Philippines, sisterhood is the indelible trope: Reine Arcache Melvin crafts the indiscreet harm of Manila’s bourgeoisie through two sisters, Lali and Pilar, whose entangled acts of lust and survival never diminish what’s true—their love for each other. Story is at the heart of Melvin’s art. Like Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus or Half of a Yellow Sun, Melvin’s US debut novel, The Betrayed, imagines politics through the propulsive sweep of romance, mixing private infidelities and public disaster with a storyteller’s verve.” * Gina Apostol, author of Insurrecto *
“[Melvin's] beautiful, sensual, visceral writing shows us that the past is not really a foreign country, but our own country in an eternal loop.” * Jessica Zafra, author of Twisted *
"Highly readable and enjoyable, it compellingly contains, in its confident tone and language, a powerful mosaic of images, characters, and relationships.” * Angelo R. Lacuesta *
“If, as poet-exile Czeslaw Milosz said, ‘language is the only homeland,’ then Melvin’s, The Betrayed is the soil we’ve been seeking—rich, elusive, yet ever-surging in our blood, bones, and breath. Told with the intimacy of a lover and with an historian’s sweeping, clear-eyed vision, it is the story of moral survival under the weight of political upheaval and human frailty. At the heart of this novel is love—of family, of motherland. Love that breaks barriers, crosses continents, transcends time. Fluid, poetic, and lush, these pages navigate our deepest longings, fears, and the relentless search for that one true thing in a ruined world.” * Angela Narciso Torres, author of What Happens is Neither and Blood Orange *
“In this story of contemporary Philippines, sisterhood is the indelible trope: Reine Arcache Melvin crafts the indiscreet harm of Manila’s bourgeoisie through two sisters, Lali and Pilar, whose entangled acts of lust and survival never diminish what’s true—their love for each other. Story is at the heart of Melvin’s art. Like Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus or Half of a Yellow Sun, Melvin’s US debut novel, The Betrayed, imagines politics through the propulsive sweep of romance, mixing private infidelities and public disaster with a storyteller’s verve.” * Gina Apostol, author of Insurrecto *
Reine Arcache Melvin is a Filipino-American author whose works focus on the Philippines and the lives of Filipinos both at home and abroad. Arcache Melvin’s short-story collection A Normal Life and Other Stories won the Philipine National Book Award for Fiction in 1999. The Betrayed is her first novel.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781787703896 |
| ISBN 10 | 1787703894 |
| Title | The Betrayed |
| Author | Reine Arcache Melvin |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Europa Editions (UK) Ltd |
| Year published | 2022-02-10 |
| Number of pages | 464 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |