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Bamboo Girls: Stories and Poems from a Forgotten Life
166 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
2 people are currently reading
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About the author
Ian Rosales Casocot
14 books42 followersIan Rosales Casocot has won the Don Carlos Palanca Award, the NVM Gonzalez Prize, and the Fully-Booked/Neil Gaiman Philippine Graphic/Fiction Award for his fiction. He was a fellow for fiction in the national writers’ workshops in Dumaguete, Baguio, Cebu, and Iligan, and was a writer-in-residence for the International Writing Program in the University of Iowa. His books include FutureShock Prose: An Anthology of Young Writers and New Literatures, which was nominated as Best Anthology in the National Book Awards given by the Manila Critics Circle; Old Movies and Other Stories; and Heartbreak & Magic: Stories of Fantasy and Horror. His novel Sugar Land was long-listed in the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize. He lives in Dumaguete City.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 3, 2024
REVIEW TO FOLLOW...
September 24, 2025
Bamboo Girls: Stories and Poems from a Forgotten Life by Ian Rosales Casocot is a collection of short stories and poems inspired by the author’s life and memories in Dumaguete. I picked up this book from Libraria, a local bookshop in Dumaguete, where they had a shelf dedicated to Negrense writers.
Part fiction and part autobiographical, the book touches on themes like family, queer awakenings, unrequited love, and idyllic days in the province. It masterfully blends various formats and genres—from short stories to poems and experimental pieces.
My favorite stories were the ones about his mother, Bamboo Girl and Mother’s High Heels. Bamboo Girl talks about the author’s efforts in preserving and documenting his family’s history and his regret of not taking interest sooner. And Mother’s High Heels is a story of how much the author loves his mother, even as she insists on wearing high heels at seventy years old. It reminded me of my own half-playful exasperation with my mom and lola as they did what they wanted despite my nagging.
Of course, as a Cancer, I have to highlight the stories of heartbreak, particularly Everything Taken Together Has The Weight of Heaven, which is about meeting the cause of your heartbreak, many years later. It’s giving Before Sunset with a twist. Haha.
The author’s voice is so clear on the page, so vivid, that while reading I felt like I was remembering his memories as my own. The book has a remarkable ability to transport the reader to unfamiliar places times that have long passed. Baka iba talaga ang emotional depth ng LGBTQ. Charot. Loved this book. Happy Pride! <3
Part fiction and part autobiographical, the book touches on themes like family, queer awakenings, unrequited love, and idyllic days in the province. It masterfully blends various formats and genres—from short stories to poems and experimental pieces.
My favorite stories were the ones about his mother, Bamboo Girl and Mother’s High Heels. Bamboo Girl talks about the author’s efforts in preserving and documenting his family’s history and his regret of not taking interest sooner. And Mother’s High Heels is a story of how much the author loves his mother, even as she insists on wearing high heels at seventy years old. It reminded me of my own half-playful exasperation with my mom and lola as they did what they wanted despite my nagging.
Of course, as a Cancer, I have to highlight the stories of heartbreak, particularly Everything Taken Together Has The Weight of Heaven, which is about meeting the cause of your heartbreak, many years later. It’s giving Before Sunset with a twist. Haha.
The author’s voice is so clear on the page, so vivid, that while reading I felt like I was remembering his memories as my own. The book has a remarkable ability to transport the reader to unfamiliar places times that have long passed. Baka iba talaga ang emotional depth ng LGBTQ. Charot. Loved this book. Happy Pride! <3
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews