Kilometer Zero

by Wilfredo Pascual

The two-time winner of the essay prize of the Palanca has finally come out with the volume of creative nonfiction we have always wanted from him. In this book, Pascual does not disappoint. I have always been awestruck by his singular voice. His essays are at once epic and personal, discursive and lyrical. There is a certain joy to his writings, even when he writes about the saddest things. I think it is the joy of surrendering to a fantastic writer’s words, letting them take you places, and finding yourself understanding the world and its humans a little bit more.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilfredo Pascual grew up in my home town, the place I currently live in. He studies in the university I currently go to. He had a life here. He also had a life in New York, in Cambodia, in Thailand, in neighboring Asian countries, and in exotic places I would not dare to visit. Pascual’s escapades provided me with a better vision of the future, that someone who lives in a small, boring town can find themself in a journey through larger, exciting cities, carrying just a bag of essentials and a great deal of curiosity.

Pascual spared no detail, no matter how specific or vague it is, tangible or thought of. It was beautiful to see how Pascual saw the world, and how he showed it in his collection of essays is stunningly done.

[june · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

“How do you store a multitude of knowledge and never lose it across continents and a lifetime? What does it take and what does it mean to be tuned in constantly to home, to always retain the elemental signatures of open waters, to hear coastlines inside you? My own memory fails in comparison. It retains selectively, vanishes in parts, mutates. And yet I know of astounding instances in my life's shifting geographies and my own mercurial identities when a familiar breeze or a particular freshness bursts on my tongue, or when a pounding rhythm jolts me—moments when I would tell myself: I know this!”

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review soon. Dami kong insights na napulot dito.

Mga paboritong sanaysay: Animalia; Penumbra; Retracing; and Terminus

[elika jirehl ☽˚｡⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

If i could give beyond 5 stars, I would. Masterpiece.

[Ti · Rating 3 out of 5]

i really wanted to love this book, because i loved the first essay! but it just didn't grip me. i was also so distracted by the inconsistent punctuation marks and repeated words so close to one another; it's almost like this book didn't have an editor.

my favorites are "animalia" and "terminus," which i think were the essays assigned to us in college (the reason i bought the entire collection in the first place). even though i don't think it's a very strong work as a whole, i enjoyed reading the pieces; i just wish they were stronger in their resolve to say Something. it just felt like the author was recalling experiences without much insight for why they happened or their relevance at the moment of writing.

the first essay inspired me write my own essay and bring out my highlighter. i haven't done either of that in years. this was a great book to get me out of my reading slump :)

[Mikey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Took a while for me to finish this because it felt like a pilgrimage more than a quick read. Not fond of this form of nostalgia writing. However, I did have some favorite moments in the book. My favorites are Devotion II and Where The World Breaks because that's when I felt the author was very much alive in his youth. My least favorites were Penumbra and Terminus because that constant trekking is exhausting to read.

[justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

riveting. finished the entire collection in one greedy sitting

[juyeon x2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

terminus….

[Athena · Rating 4 out of 5]

really interesting… took me to so many places his hometown Nueva Ecija, Bangkok, Vietnam, New York, San Francisco, and other parts of the world. It’s enthralling how intertwined and connected we all are. His thinking, writing, and braveness to discover is amazing.