Recuerdos de Patay and Other Stories

by Caroline S. Hau

Caroline Hau’s fiction exhibits those characteristics that have long marked her scholarship: luminous prose, keen observation, trenchant insight. Spanning some twenty-five years these stories also tell a tale of her own journey as literary artist and scholar; from the plight of a Chinese-Filipino woman during WWII grieving in silence the death of a husband to the sadly vain attempts of a turn-of-the-century Kapampangan artist to make a precarious living and to keep alive vestiges of a dying culture by painting the dead, we glimpse too a record of our own passing. – Charlson Ong

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

115 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Caroline S. Hau is a Professor with the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Kyoto University.

Reviews

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Recuerdos de Patay" (Photos of the Dead) is a collection of short stories by Caroline S. Hau. She is Professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Japan. Born in Manila in 1969, she obtained her BA in English Studies (Imaginative Writing), summa cum laude, for the University of the Philippines, and her MA and PhD in English Language and Literature from Cornell University, where she received the Lauriston Sharp Prize for her dissertation on Philippine Literature. My first book read by her was "Querida: An Anthology" (Anvil, 2013). "Recuerdos" is Caroline Hau's first book of fiction.

Composed of 11 fictional short stories about the dead, the dying and the living, "Recuerdos" seems to be based on the author's real life. What with the references on Chinese-Filipino heritage of the author or even her grandparents and other relatives in China. And that what makes this book a delight to read. It gives you a glimpse of the life she, with her Chinoy lineage, went through to be where she is now, a professor in Kyoto University.

Although "Recuerdos de Patay" is just one of the short stories and it is about people on the photo cover of this book, most of the other short stories talk about someone who is already dead. An example of this is "Firetrees and Orange Sundays", my favorite among 12. It talks about the narrator's dead teenager brother Kendrick whose funeral faves way for the narrator's lover to meet her mother. It made me want to go to nearby Banaue St. and look for a looban with firetrees that turn into orange on Sundays. That's what the story can do to you.

This book is not a photo collection of the dead. It is not scary although I decided to pick this book to get the Halloween feels. I was halfway reading the book yesterday afternoon when my eyes got tired so I closed them and rest for awhile. I didn't know that I drifted to sleep. I dreamed about my 81-y/o mother. It got scared and I had that urge to call her up to check on her. That's what this book can do to you.

Thank you for writing this book, Caroline Hau.

[Jaymee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice collection of stories - a mix of topics, starting with the Filipino-Chinese experience, some history, and then one about a paranoid man, a local aswang story, ending with the title story. While they were compelling enough, some parts lost me. The jumps from one topic to the next weren't too disruptive; some scenes in some stories were just lost on me, leaving me a bit confused. The title story, for instance, was beautiful and poetic, but lacked a certain charm and poignancy to it - the one that makes a story linger with you (this is probably what I felt was lacking in all of the stories).

[Jessa Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

not a lot of Filipino writers bother writing about their marginal experiences concomitant with their subject-positions. in this collection of short stories, Caroline Hau utilizes the genre of fiction to interrogate the existing discourses regarding the narratives nestled on the interstices of ph (trans)nationalities. although hindi ko bet ang syntax niya.

madaming portions na kinailangan ko basahin nang ilang beses para lang ma-gets ang sinasabi niya (even tho hindi ko rin masyadong na-gets and eventually, i stopped making the effort huhu). the least taxing story to read was New Year's Day. sorry na.

[Miguel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me a few shorts to acclimate to Hau's writing/narrative style. It's sparse, almost inviting you to fill in the blanks yourself and continue the events of the story or assume the true nature of this particular character—just like a true recuerdos de patay ("photos of the dead"). The horror fanatic in me thought this was going to be a spooky read (e.g. ghosts, possessions, etc.) But nothing is probably more chilling than death, dying, and the grief of life/living/remembering, in which the stories primarily revolve around. Still, I am glad there's a local aswang tale or two.

Favorites: The Gorge, Practicum, Recuerdos de Patay

[mistifieds · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

I picked up this book thinking it was about Filipino culture on death and ghosts. But rather, it’s portraits on grieving and remembering.

I love how grieving is not only exclusive when a person has passed; its scope includes so much more. The heart will always long for a forgotten era, a memory, gestures of the dearly beloved that we’ve made our own, a time we can no longer be.

My favorites from the collection: Stories, Firetrees and Orange Sundays, Nukumori.

[Jenny Llaguno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished reading in 2017. Didn’t know Caroline Hau can write fiction, because all I read of her work are those ponderous academic historico-literary criticism of monumental value to serious scholars. Yet indeed she can write fiction. Great read!

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging, in a lot of ways gripping and heartfelt, but most of all, challenged death and grief (and in effect, longing and remembering) as taboo topics in the Philippine context.

From this first round of reading, stories that stuck with me include: New Year's Day, Stories, Firetrees and Orange Sundays***, A Stranger in the Room, Practicum, and Recuerdos de Patay (the titular short story).

(*** personal favorite)

Then again, like most of what I've already read and want to re-read, I will let this sink in for now.

I can't wait to read more of Hau's complete works :)

[Ivan Labayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

a husband that will not likely return, dead, "I must go. They need men to dig some ditches." The dead, but memorialized Wha Chi guerilla; graduate school as "extended coffee break"

[Emeelu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiction that felt almost too real. Interesting stories of Chinoy experience and Pinoy folklore

[Irvin Sales · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't help to be the type of guy to judge the book by its cover. Not much to say about the book. I think among all the stories it was the last one that just reaaaallly grabbed my attention.