Demigods and Monsters: Stories

by Caroline S. Hau

A child commits an unspeakable act against another child. A woman avails herself of the services of a love hospital to dispel her husband's mistress. A former entertainer holds the fort of an aging village against encroaching wild animals and dementia. A controversial politician calls a press conference to explain his crimes and misdemeanors. A family living in an old house is plagued by poltergeists.

These are some of the demigods and monsters who range across the troubled landscapes of the Philippines, Japan, China, Singapore, and the United States, and haunt this new collection of short fiction by the author of Recuerdos de Patay and Other Stories.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

154 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

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

Reviews

[selina · Rating 3 out of 5]

maybe it is my fault for expecting actual demigods and monsters in this book and i should have known it’d just be metaphors. but still. im so sad it wasn’t the case

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

My third Hau. Compared to her first short story collection, Demigods and Monsters is probably more refined, more self-aware of the motivations and predilections of its stories, and essentially, more cohesive. Like most short story collections, not all of its offerings are arresting, captivating reads but at the very least, Hau's writing remains to be palatable and straightforward all throughout. It's no wonder she's a good academic. Even in her most earnest and affectionate, her writing possesses the laconic precision and technicality of a prolific researcher who cares about her readers. She knew what she was doing when she ended her collection with "Haunted," a ghost story written from the perspective of a poltergeist who followed a young boy residing in the house she inhabits, one that eventually grew up to be a member of the New People's Army. She had a vision....

In no particular order, here are my favorites:
1. The Love Hospital
2. Two Days In May
3. Demigods and Monsters
4. Obituaries
5. Haunted

I am still looking forward to reading that Caroline Hau horror novel.

[elsewhere · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Demigods and Monsters: Stories" by Caroline S. Hau contained stories that had such gripping first sentences and introductions that I would want nothing else but to proceed. Hau's introductions alone were enough to pique my curiosity as to who the stories were about - who were these characters? What were their experiences? Where were they when their stories were written down?

The atmosphere that Hau had created in all of these stories was incredible. I was taken to different countries and places that I had never been to. There were various things in the atmosphere of the stories that Hau was able to bring out, like the aroma of banana cue and turon or the age of a building. Aside from the atmosphere and the remarkable imagery, Hau also had memorable characters who could exist on their own, regardless if they had names or how long or short their stories were. Hau had created multiple characters with tiny stories, backgrounds, and experiences that made me feel like I had been reading an entire novel about each one of these characters - they were that memorable, interesting, and alive. None of Hau's characters was flat. What was more admirable was how Hau was capable of building an entire character with only using a sentence.

This was such a pleasant and refreshing read. This would be definitely something that I would reread soon.

My actual rating for this short story collection was 4.25 / 5 stars.

[Ivan Labayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

glimpses of local politics and history in "the girl in the aqua dress," "rigoberto agalon had had the foresight long ago to diversify the family interests beyond sugar. while some of his negrense neghbors lived on credit, rigoberto had bought up plots of land in san pedro makati, mandaluyong..." "bobby agalon gambled to transfer his allegiance from the dictator tot he widow in time for people power."

a petty-b's potential wet dream of an occupation abroad, in a scholar's spot in "house-sitting," "I remembered gorging on a friend's copy of travels in hyperrreality, a bag of jack n jill potato chips, and a tumbler of coke one weekend, years ago, in manila, before reading turned into a chore, an assignment, an object of deconstruction."

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Most of the stories were funny, sarcastic and satirical.
2. I enjoyed that Hau experimented with different forms and ways of telling a short story — through a documentary format, a monologue, an obituary, a glossary of terms. It’s a breath of fresh air from the conventional form of prose a.k.a. big blocks of texts and paragraphs.
3. I am just so happy that reading this collection reminded me of how great Hau’s novel “Tiempo Muerto was” (as I did not expect a portion of that in this anthology). Go read it if you have not.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I do like Professor Hau's use of words (see particularly: Glossary), I have always thought that she does better research than fiction. Still, I admire this wonderful collection of short stories that are, well, truly short

[Nico · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book holds so much depth that every story pictures different faces of everyday monsters and heroes grounded in Philippine context. The usage of perspective and different techniques in writing resorted to a good balance of storytelling and impact with each story.