Review: Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap

[smalltimereads]

Never Have I Ever was published by Small Beer Press.

Never Have I Ever is a wonderful short story collection. It starts with a story about a manananggal, one of my favorite mythical creatures, in a story that is lovely and surprisingly sweet. 'Milagroso' was short and magical and melancholy, a brief glimpse of a world I don't want to live in and can all too easily imagine. 'A Spell for Foolish Hearts' was adorable, and also managed to hit me where it hurts. 'Asphalt, River, Mother, Child' was painful, about the effects of Duterte's war on drugs and state violence. Devastating and tender at once.

I could read a whole book about 'Hurricane Heels (We Go Down Dancing).' Same goes for 'How to Swallow the Moon,' although that story is the perfect length as-is. 'Misty' was like a good classic fireside ghost story.

I also enjoyed how Filipino a lot of the stories were- with the caveat that I have a limited knowledge of the Philippines, and most of that knowledge is Manila-based. But it's always great to read stories with a strong sense of place, by authors who love that place. Really, this is an excellent book.

Comments

[gionkenji]

i read the magazine versions of 'milagroso' and 'how to swallow the moon', and found them really lovely. glad to hear the rest of the book carries the same spirit!!

[smalltimereads]

I hope you can read it! Although I think there were only a few stories exclusive to the book, so some Googling and tab setups could probably recreate a similar experience.