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Dirt: The Not Quite Unreal Finale
Everybody's got dirt.
No one knows that better than Orestes Dizon --- he literally has a binder full of people's secrets and sins. Living the charmed life of the privileged and the powerful, Orestes has always played by the rules. His whole life's carefully planned, curated, and crisis-managed.
Until he meets Octavio, the new kid in school who reminds him of a choice he made in his past.
And as everyone around him start to come to terms with who they really are, Orestes is stuck playing a double life: the perfect little boy his father wants him to be, and the boy who wants to play with fire.
This is the final volume in the Not Quite Unreal series, and no one's safe from the mudslinging and dirt-digging.
The endgame is here.
It's time to come clean.
No one knows that better than Orestes Dizon --- he literally has a binder full of people's secrets and sins. Living the charmed life of the privileged and the powerful, Orestes has always played by the rules. His whole life's carefully planned, curated, and crisis-managed.
Until he meets Octavio, the new kid in school who reminds him of a choice he made in his past.
And as everyone around him start to come to terms with who they really are, Orestes is stuck playing a double life: the perfect little boy his father wants him to be, and the boy who wants to play with fire.
This is the final volume in the Not Quite Unreal series, and no one's safe from the mudslinging and dirt-digging.
The endgame is here.
It's time to come clean.
334 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
3 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 14, 2026
this has spoilers!
i’ve finished reading the book a few minutes ago. i’m still processing it, sitting with the fact that Orestes and Ember finally got the second chance they deserve.
admittedly, i hated Orestes at some parts. he’s truly a terribly unreliable narrator. i didn’t understand how his morals allowed him to leave Ember tied to a flag pole. his status was given, but it doesn’t hurt to be a decent person.
but god damn, maybe that was the price he had to pay for living in his pretentious privileged life. a life he did not lead until he met Ember. he suffered from internalized homophobia for a time because again, these are high school kids i was reading about, he had no identity for himself at the time—he was only beginning to build it.
Carlos Malvar did a great job portraying the harm of toxic masculinity and homophobia rooted in the f*cking patriarchy. it really shows how much destruction a “righteous” person brings upon himself and those surround him. Agamemnon Dizon’s character shows how dangerous it is to believe you are above others, how inherently evil and wrong it is to believe men are above women.
i love the women in this story. they were all empowered. i f*cking love that.
my only complaint was how Orestes was shown more affectionate to Octavio than he was with Ember. OK I GET that he was denying himself his truth with Ember hence hurting the both of them, and then realized that with Octavio so he changed, somehow. hehe nitpick lang siguro kasi i only truly began to understand the depth of their relationship through Ember’s own accounts. i love Ember’s character! the acceptance of the community shown through the timeskips and Ember’s growth made me happy and hopeful that at the end of all of this, we would be completely accepted and not merely tolerated anymore. love, after all, asks you to surrender and accept wholeheartedly. love is felt the greatest when it is not half-hearted.
mabuhay ang kababaihan at sangkabaklaan!
ps. i did not proofread this, this will do.
i’ve finished reading the book a few minutes ago. i’m still processing it, sitting with the fact that Orestes and Ember finally got the second chance they deserve.
admittedly, i hated Orestes at some parts. he’s truly a terribly unreliable narrator. i didn’t understand how his morals allowed him to leave Ember tied to a flag pole. his status was given, but it doesn’t hurt to be a decent person.
but god damn, maybe that was the price he had to pay for living in his pretentious privileged life. a life he did not lead until he met Ember. he suffered from internalized homophobia for a time because again, these are high school kids i was reading about, he had no identity for himself at the time—he was only beginning to build it.
Carlos Malvar did a great job portraying the harm of toxic masculinity and homophobia rooted in the f*cking patriarchy. it really shows how much destruction a “righteous” person brings upon himself and those surround him. Agamemnon Dizon’s character shows how dangerous it is to believe you are above others, how inherently evil and wrong it is to believe men are above women.
i love the women in this story. they were all empowered. i f*cking love that.
my only complaint was how Orestes was shown more affectionate to Octavio than he was with Ember. OK I GET that he was denying himself his truth with Ember hence hurting the both of them, and then realized that with Octavio so he changed, somehow. hehe nitpick lang siguro kasi i only truly began to understand the depth of their relationship through Ember’s own accounts. i love Ember’s character! the acceptance of the community shown through the timeskips and Ember’s growth made me happy and hopeful that at the end of all of this, we would be completely accepted and not merely tolerated anymore. love, after all, asks you to surrender and accept wholeheartedly. love is felt the greatest when it is not half-hearted.
mabuhay ang kababaihan at sangkabaklaan!
ps. i did not proofread this, this will do.
June 17, 2023
Carlos Malvar's Dirt: The Not Quite Unreal Finale. It's a coming-of-age story but only for its characters' age as it packs years worth of wisdom. It is a story about love but not a love story, not in a way that one would expect, not by a mile. It is an excellent detective story without trying to be one. It's a proper read this Pride month no matter your orientation, cisgender welcome and homophobes take note.
Its author knows how to write a novel that is both gripping, thought-provoking, and, to put it lightly, smart.
The novel delves into the complex lives of its characters, about and also from the perspective of Orestes. With vivid clarity, it went about exploring their deepest fears, desires, the consequences of their choices, and the illusion of choice for some. Their flaws and vulnerabilities make them (rich and poor alike) relatable and human. It explores morality, identity, and reality (the good and the bad parts of it) without needing to be extremely graphic. The dialogue, while at times stylized, is authentic and natural. The plot is intricately woven, masterfully balancing suspense, drama, and moments of introspection, creating a well-rounded narrative with sustained momentum.
But what really got me was the latter part. An after-credits of sorts. Without it, the novel is complete and compelling. With it, it's a work of genius. The clues were all there from the start for those who pay attention (the name of the tower is a dead give-away for fans of Sherlock Holmes) yet the flow of revelations was smooth, nuanced and, like the proverbial crumbs mentioned at the start, good and tasty enough for the readers to pick up bit by bit till it leads them home.
One thing I didn't like about Dirt? How underrated it is. I see way too many way inferior work get way undeserved glory. I hope Mr. Malvar makes more and I pray that the reading crowd catches up.
Its author knows how to write a novel that is both gripping, thought-provoking, and, to put it lightly, smart.
The novel delves into the complex lives of its characters, about and also from the perspective of Orestes. With vivid clarity, it went about exploring their deepest fears, desires, the consequences of their choices, and the illusion of choice for some. Their flaws and vulnerabilities make them (rich and poor alike) relatable and human. It explores morality, identity, and reality (the good and the bad parts of it) without needing to be extremely graphic. The dialogue, while at times stylized, is authentic and natural. The plot is intricately woven, masterfully balancing suspense, drama, and moments of introspection, creating a well-rounded narrative with sustained momentum.
But what really got me was the latter part. An after-credits of sorts. Without it, the novel is complete and compelling. With it, it's a work of genius. The clues were all there from the start for those who pay attention (the name of the tower is a dead give-away for fans of Sherlock Holmes) yet the flow of revelations was smooth, nuanced and, like the proverbial crumbs mentioned at the start, good and tasty enough for the readers to pick up bit by bit till it leads them home.
One thing I didn't like about Dirt? How underrated it is. I see way too many way inferior work get way undeserved glory. I hope Mr. Malvar makes more and I pray that the reading crowd catches up.
September 16, 2024
I had a copy of this book a few years ago, unfortunately I lost it during my trip but I've read this book to the end and I absolutely LOVE IT.
I loved the interactions, the realistic personalities and the DRAMA. Especially between Orestes and Amber. I have a vague memory of it now but I ABSOLUTELY LOVED your work!
I loved the interactions, the realistic personalities and the DRAMA. Especially between Orestes and Amber. I have a vague memory of it now but I ABSOLUTELY LOVED your work!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews