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Oha: A Story Told in One Eternal Second

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Mia, a fifteen-year-old spirit, yearns for a normal teenage life. With childlike wonder, she finds herself immersed in the lives of the families around her old neighborhood, and unexpectedly delighted with the spirits she eventually
meets.

In the span of over 50 years (or an eternal second) of Mia’s afterlife, her questions become inevitable: “What counts as living?” “Does one really disappear after death?” “Are there universal Truths?” While she searches for answers, Mia is caught in the intoxicating nuances of young romance, the nurturing bliss from real friendships, and the complex history of Baguio City from the 1940s to the earthquake in 1990 and beyond.

A novel on making up for lost time, forging unexpected connections, and exploring the forces that connect nature, life, and death, Oha brings us the intricacies of faith and spirituality, and the ebbs and flows that unite us all: grief,
guilt, joy, love.

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2024

2 people are currently reading
48 people want to read

About the author

Krie Reyes Lopez

6 books7 followers

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5 stars
18 (47%)
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16 (42%)
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2 (5%)
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1 (2%)
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Lady Bookaneer.
50 reviews
January 13, 2024
Bawled my eyes out after just 38 pages. I wonder why bookstores are inundated with books of Western authors when clearly books by Filipino authors are just as good, if not better, as theirs.

At first, I’m one of those who are hesitant to read books by Filipino authors. Because at times, their prose could get awkward. And a lot of things could get lost in translation. I realized I was not just reading the right book.

This book is the right one. The prose flows smoothly. The familiarity of the setting and the culture made the story more heartfelt. The author showcased a lot of empathy. I know this is fiction but I hope death is as kind as the author depicts it to be. It may be narrated by a ghost but the words are meant to comfort the living.

4.5⭐️ (Because I’m a sucker for books that will make me cry)

Before she died, Mia left a poem for her dad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rest now.
I relieve you of the obligation as the architect to my fragile space.

For now it is my turn.
Let our fifteen years be the substructure
to the grand scheme that you so deserve.
I am in you, as you are in me. Always.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are books I wish I could read again for the first time. It’s one of those. Just know that before it was booksta famous, before it garnered awards, I read it first.
Profile Image for Cecille.
117 reviews
November 2, 2025
Lately, I have been drawn towards books written by Filipino writers and I've already read a few. This book caught my attention because of the blurb, I was intrigued how a 15-year old spirit would "live" her eternity in her beloved home.

It's timely that I read this book two weeks after we had our vacation in Baguio, I didn't know the setting of the book is here. I felt a kind of excitement being able to visualize the place while reading.

The story features Mia, a teenager living in a bubble because of her sickness. She yearns to have a normal teenaga life, the one where she is free to experience life without fear for her own safety. The day she passed away was a sad moment for me, I felt sad not only for the loved ones she left behind but for herself as well.

Throughout the book, she was able to witness the lives of the residents in the cul-de-sac, both the highs and lows. In a way, she was able to experience through their eyes what she is longing for.

This has a special place in my heart, and everything I read here brings me to a question of mine. "Do our departed loved ones know what is happening to us? Do they care?" I know this is just fiction, but I was somehow comforted.

This book included Baguio's memorable parts of history, and I like how it was injected into Mia's story. I love the connections she made while she was living and in the afterlife. I especially loved her relationship with Manang Nita, and what she taught Mia - All in perfect time. Kasiyana Sa.

I can go on and on how much I love this book, but I might spoil a lot. I recommend that you include this in your tbr.
Profile Image for Lynn Behar.
27 reviews1 follower
March 14, 2025
This is a can’t-put-it-down book about ghosts and living people crossing over in their separate worlds in the Philippines. Krie Lopes is an excellent, creative, entertaining writer. I look forward to more books from this author.
Profile Image for sophie.
154 reviews
Read
April 23, 2025
this was… okay? it wasn’t that bad but it wasn’t that good either. there is an attempt to map out baguio as the ghost town that is not merely a ghost town because it’s “full of ghosts” but because it’s full of history and memories by the people who have walked on its pavements while inhaling the cool mountain air that often enveloped the city. the metaphysical aspects of it weren’t that interesting for me; it feels like something you would see on a pixar film but then again this is a ya fiction after all so maybe i shouldn’t be too critical.

i didn’t care for the romance at all, it was also a little hard to sympathize with the main character, mia, because her internal monologue is not really all that interesting, although i did cry on her dad’s reaction to her death. probably hate-read on the last 30% of the book because i didn’t care much about the main characters (and the side characters who were so rushly introduced) but i liked the storyline about jaime and jean! it was also a little annoying that mia’s internal monologue as someone from middle class “emphatizing” with the lower class characters who couldn’t see her was so… on the nose? her empathy seems very performative to me and it doesn’t help that the characters who belong in the lower class experienced tragedy after tragedy which might’ve been the only way to make the story a tad bit interesting than it really is, and it didn’t even comment on actual social issues that could be worth talking about! don’t even get me started on the catholicism insert like i legit rolled my eyes so hard on that light on the church bit … talk about postcolonialism influence!

anyway, not sure if i hate this book (i did finish it so that says something) but i definitely don’t like it sorry (i tried though!) maybe it’s more accurate to say that i’m indifferent towards it and i wouldn’t really attempt to read it again

[a prof of mine lent his copy to me]
Profile Image for Yana.
93 reviews28 followers
July 2, 2024
Most teenagers are dealing with raging hormones, wondering what their crush is doing or how the hell they are going to get their homework done that day. However, here is Mia, a lingering spirit who is navigating something much more daunting than high school—the afterlife.
 
The book is called Oha meaning one in Ifugao, a dialect that is spoken in the northern parts of the Philippines, specifically in Luzon. “A story told in one eternal second.” Every character in this book packs a punch. I did not think that I would get so emotionally attached to almost every single character so quickly, but here we are. So many typical Filipino attributes can be seen in the book through family dynamics, the extreme separation between social classes, and even certain traditions or rituals we have when someone passes.
 
There is a saying that is repeated a lot in this book, which is “Kasiyana sa” which means all in perfect time. Which feels like the perfect saying in reference to when your time has come. I think we all feel that we deserve certain niceties or privileges when it comes to this life, but just like the blooming flowers on a tree, we all have our own seasons. Revealing too much of the plot of this book would be doing you a disservice because I thoroughly enjoyed going into it blind.
 
This was such a heartwarming book, and I love finding local authors worth the time and money to recommend to you all!
Profile Image for Dycee.
98 reviews3 followers
July 8, 2025
This is a truly unique and moving experience that blurs the lines between life, death, and the enduring power of connection. This journey has left my heart transformed, much like the ebb and flow of grief and healing.

What sets Oha apart is its masterful depiction of separate yet intimately intertwined worlds of the living and the departed. Lopez crafts a reality where the living and the dead exist not as terrifying specters, but as palpable presences, living out their own existence in a parallel dimension that feels both fantastical and incredibly real. This concept, far from being morbid, is instead profoundly comforting, suggesting that love and connection transcend the physical boundaries of life.

It's clear that this is a story designed to elicit a deep emotional response, and it succeeds spectacularly. I found myself swept away by the characters' struggles, triumphs, and the heartbreaking beauty of their interconnected lives. It delves into the depths of sorrow and loss, only to emerge with a profound sense of peace and hope.

This is more than just a story; it's a meditation on existence, memory, and the nature of love. It has challenged my perceptions, touched my soul, and ultimately left me feeling lighter and more connected to the unseen threads that bind us all.
Profile Image for Michelle De Guzman.
9 reviews4 followers
February 4, 2024
I started this book early January to reignite my love for reading. Life happened in between so it took me the next couple of weeks to finish it. The weekend I finally finished it was just a couple of days before the 5th anniversary of my father’s passing. It was also the weekend of the wolf moon.

Kasiyana sa.

I went through it with the premise that it’s a young adult fiction, expecting a light read with some life realizations and a bit of teenage *kilig*, only to surprise myself in the end that I had so many questions about the afterlife as an adult after reading the book.

What if the bad energies of our spirits really produce bad entities?
Do we feel anything after we’ve passed?
How much effect to the living will we have as a spirit?
Why do humans forget that we and the nature are Oha?
Why do we forget that WE are Oha?

I guess I’ll know all in perfect time.

Kasiyana sa.

Mia’s sickness prevented her from gaining real friends in her mortal life but it was comforting to know that she gained significant ones in the next. It may have taken some of them some time to be ‘unstuck’ but the story gives a nice thought that, in the afterlife, you’ll get the chance to finish your ‘unfinished business’ when you help other souls. It actually reminds me of that 90s movie Heart and Souls. But I’m honestly left wondering about Mia’s mom still.

The intertwined stories and lives of the people Mia observed and the lives of the souls she befriended were all a testament to Manang Nita’s philosophy, the message that, for me, resonated so much–
Bad times only now,
Bad times will end,
Hope always.

Kasiyana sa.
Profile Image for kb.
696 reviews23 followers
August 15, 2024
Finding dead narrators in Filipino YA books is rare at the moment. So Oha, A Story Told in One Eternal Second by Krie R. Lopez, a book told from the POV of a 15-year-old spirit of a girl, intrigued me.

Oha offers a lot—history, emotion, human connection. There’s also a closer look at family, friendship, and romance, intertwined with complex relationships and unique circumstances set in post-war and known-to-be-spooky Baguio. There are vivid descriptions of the setting plus photos of the older version of Baguio spots, which would help complete the scenes in a reader’s head, whether they’d been there many times or otherwise.

But it was ultimately the probing of life after death by a teenager that got me invested.

Read my review on Bookbed.
Profile Image for kyra.
372 reviews3 followers
August 24, 2025
from 1945 to 2002, we follow Mia's life in Baguio. this is a book with elements of history, love, loss, medicine, religion, found family, and the supernatural. i think that's all you need to know.

i personally also loved the homage the author put in. the chapter titles are in 'tuwali' - the language of the Ifugao in Northern Luzon, Philippines.

and because I didn't even so much as flip through the pages of the book, as i turned to the last page, i was left surprised. i recommend that you do the same, dive into this book without searching for the synopsis or reading spoilers. patience reader, uncover what this book could mean FOR you, yourself. Kasiyana sa. All in perfect time.

though this is marketed as young adult, i urge you to read this even though you might be a full-fledged adult. you wont regret it.
715 reviews3 followers
November 11, 2025
I read this while on a trip and didn’t realize it was very timely read on Halloween, as it’s about ghosts and spirits, but nothing scary.


The book talks about Mia, a fifteen-year-old ghost. She was leading a normal teenage life until she died of sickness. In a span of 50 years, Mia’s afterlife is an extraordinary journey. Questions of What counts as living, Does one really disappear after death, Are there universal truth are foremost in her mind. While searching for answers, she encounters people she never thought she would meet and be friends with. Experiences from young romance, to new found friendships, we see Mia’s journey to Baguio City in the 40s to the big earthquake in the 90s and beyond.


I love the setting, perfect for the story. Baguio feels like home. It is a place many of us have fond memories of, whether with families and with friends. It’s a place where we ghost hunt, tell ghost stories, scare each other, just the mere mention of Baguio equates to ghost and spirits. You tend to reminisce the Baguio the place we knew before.


We often wonder what life will be when we die. Nobody really knows the answer. I read some books and see some movies about what it will be like but nothing like what the author creates. Reading Oha gives me a glimpse into that unknown world. I like how the author makes the after life, on what could have been, the friends we can make, the “normal” things we can do, the unfinished business, our purpose and still life continues. She makes it seem believable and that it’s plausible to have the life to reconnect, to forge new friendships, and understand the vast nature of faith and spirituality.

There’s so much emotions coming from this book, grief and sadness when we talk about death. But there is also joy and lots of love in between. And like in real life, the story shows us that things will happen all in perfect time.
Kasiyana Sa
9 reviews3 followers
March 29, 2024
Filipinos are all too familiar already with ghost stories in Baguio, but this story beautifully tells about death and the afterlife, grief and moving on, and what a life fully lived is. Perfect to have this set in Baguio - the nation’s summer capital, known for its ghost stories, and lush nature. The place becomes transformed in this story to mean something more for anyone who’s been, and intending to go there.
117 reviews
March 9, 2025
This is my first Filipino best book read. I bought this when I was in Baguio while visiting Mt. Cloud Bookshop. It just calls me to pick it up, and I'm happy I take this home. I love how I watch the scenes roll by as I read. It feels like a movie. It was so easy to read. I love how it's not very religious, yet it was combined with the supernatural. I cried a lot, and it's the perfect hormonal read. It was such a good book.
1 review
March 15, 2025
Beautifully written. I also imagine myself in the cool breeze of Baguio and can smell the fresh crisp pine trees as I read the book. The cover is eye-catching, the paper is smooth, the words are not crowded in a single page that's why it is not tiring to read.. May the author have more novels to come. And cheers to all Filipino authors!
Profile Image for Shiandra.
100 reviews13 followers
May 5, 2024
A story that definitely showed the power of peace and unity not only amongst the living but also among those who passed on. It was a good read with a quick pace. Does not bask in poetic prose but rather in a straightforward tone.
Profile Image for Pam Garcia.
45 reviews
November 1, 2024
Just the book that I needed and finished All Souls’ Day at that. Starred review for new ( to me) insights on what makes up a meaningful life. Encouragement when I feel I’m not doing what I should be doing with life.
And inspiring that there’s time to turn things around.
10 reviews
July 16, 2025
Good read and beautifully written. This books will take you to the energy of Baguio and will let you travel with her. I feel like a ghost too.. hehe. Kudos also to milflores, I love the quality and sense of the paper..
Profile Image for Wen.
56 reviews1 follower
July 27, 2024
"Live the life that you deserve to live--a life where you have the fearlessness to do the right thing, to make mistakes and to forgive yourself every time you falter."
271 reviews3 followers
June 4, 2024
God this book suck so bad
Profile Image for Veron.
114 reviews4 followers
September 30, 2025
OHA (meaning ‘one’ in Tuwali Ifugao) is a story of Mia, a 15-year old who wandered around her neighborhood as a ghost for decades starting from the moment she died from a sickness in 1951. She narrates everything that happened in her life and afterlife within only one second, which explains the title and subtitle.

The start of the story features Mia’s life with her architect father who is assigned to Baguio. Barely surviving a near-death experience and a chronic sickness during the war, Mia develops preparedness for her own death. The moment came not a long while after. She then exists as a ghost-like entity who can still interact with the physical world but cannot interact with people who are alive. She wanders in pursuit for the purpose she’s still around.

First off, I liked the idea behind the novel and the some of the things it portrayed. Following a paranormal experience in Baguio, the author comes up with a story from the perspective of the ghost, contrary to what we're used to, that overviews the city’s history, including key moments that are said to have significantly contributed to the paranormal activity like the Second World War and the 1990 Earthquake.

The book heavily relies on Mia’s monologue of what's happening around her, and I found it lacking at times. For instance, in the first half of the novel, a lot of really tragic things happen to the lives she’d been observing and grew attached with. There’s an attempt to portray these as products of economic inequality but the lack of urgency in Mia’s rather monotonous narration and non-interference gives a disconnect to what could’ve been a sharp commentary on class differences that affects her worldview later on, especially since inequality becomes a recurring theme in the book.

OHA plays a lot on the idea of living people having the tendency to become more dangerous than the undead and the gray line between being good and bad, complimenting the afterlife aspect well. There’s bits of wisdom about morality, in relation to life and death, brought by the mixture of the different faiths and belief systems presented in the book. I believe this book is best for the readers who like self-help or introspective stories more than plot-heavy novels.
Profile Image for Gabriela Francisco.
569 reviews17 followers
January 2, 2025
Baguio is awash by tourists and Manileños all bundled up in Uniqlo Heattech this Christmas and New Year season. There may be another reason for the cold atmosphere: the chill of the supernatural. The Baguio depicted in OHA by Krie R. Lopez is one peopled by ghosts.

(Read the rest of the review over at https://exlibrisphilippines.com/2025/... )
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