July 25, 2022
Filipina American writer Melvin’s dense debut novel (after the collection A Normal Life and Other Stories) explores the complex relationship between two sisters and the Philippines’ turbulent history. After Pilar and Lali’s dissident father is murdered, they deal with their grief in different ways. Pilar wants to continue fighting the regime as their father had, while Lali marries Arturo, godson of the general who had a hand in their father’s death. Fear is ever-present—“There was only this: the sense of a tiny crack inside her, where she was always afraid,” Melvin writes of Pilar. When Arturo learns Lali may have married him out of convenience, he turns to Pilar for comfort, and, with Lali’s blessing, they have an affair. But after Pilar has Arturo’s baby, Lali tries to get him back. To stop obsessing over Arturo’s lack of interest, Lali goes to a local shopping mall to scout out eligible men and meets Peter, a white journalist who asks her to travel with him to the South, which she believes may be the only way to win her husband’s desire again. Though the plot tends to meander and stall, Melvin offers a convincing perspective on political turmoil and the ways it impacts her characters’ lives. Other novels have done a better job with similar material, but this has its moments.
Starred review from August 1, 2022
When the Filipino revolutionary Gregorio is assassinated, his family--a wife and two daughters--returns from exile in San Francisco to Manila. A revolution ensues, and the country's dictator, Gregorio's enemy, is deposed. In the meantime, Arturo, the dictator's godson, marries Lali, the beautiful younger daughter, and, changing sides, becomes a political candidate himself. Gregorio's two daughters are a study in contrasts. Lali is a fearless force of nature; Pilar, who is described as having "frightened rabbit's eyes," is just the opposite. And yet Lali is convinced that Arturo is falling in love with her sister and, in a seemingly irrational gesture, encourages Pilar to have a relationship with Arturo, thinking that, when passion is spent, he will return to her. But has she made a terrible mistake? Melvin's sweeping family saga is a fascinating exercise in family dynamics as they are inextricably linked to worldly politics, power, and privilege. The Philippines is depicted as a country gone mad with revolution, and, as a politician, Arturo is caught up in its midst. His point of view is presented along with that of the two sisters, shedding light on a complex mix of issues that encompasses familial and national politics. Beautifully plotted and written, The Betrayed is a striking work of fiction populated with fully realized characters who will live in readers' memories.
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