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The Foley Artist: Stories
"A collection like a circus of daredevils. . . . A bravura debut." —Alexander Chee, author of How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
A compelling debut for fans of the Filipino America brought to life in fiction by Elaine Castillo and Mia Alvar.
At once deliciously bizarre and painfully familiar, The Foley Artist introduces a vital new voice to Asian American literature. Ricco Villanueva Siasoco's powerful debut collection opens new regions of American feeling and thought as it interrogates intimacy, foreignness, and silence in an absurd world.
These nine stories give voice to the intersectional identities of women and men in the Filipino diaspora in America: a straight woman attends her ex-boyfriend's same-sex marriage in coastal Maine; a college-bound teenager encounters his deaf uncle in Manila; Asian American drag queens duke it out in the annual Iowa State Fair; a seventy-nine-year-old foley artist recreates the sounds of life, but is finally unable to save himself.
"A collection like a circus of daredevils, but with the determined charm of a Chinese drag queen making her home in Iowa. Siasoco takes us on a trip through the world we know by way of characters I've not seen in fiction before, or at least, not enough of--characters with stories I have been waiting for. A bravura debut." —Alexander Chee, author of How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
"The Foley Artist is Ricco Villanueva Siasoco's book of wonders--filled with compelling and unpredictable stories that alternate between dark and light. It marks the exciting debut of a bold and brilliant new writer. A kickass read!" —Jessica Hagedorn, author of Dogeaters and Toxicology
"Clever, vivid, and poignant, The Foley Artist is a treasure. Ricco Villanueva Siasoco nimbly guides us from drag shows in Des Moines to wrestling rings in greater Boston, from wet markets in Manila to porn shops in West Hollywood, in prose that sings with tenderness, humor, and insight. Here are Filipino-American lives and queer lives in all their glorious complexity, and here is a debut author in full command of his wide-ranging imagination." —Mia Alvar, award-winning author of In the Country
"These captivating and interconnected stories about fusion and friction--familial, cultural, racial, and sexual--read like quiet punches in the gut. A poignant and, at times, heart-stabbing, collection that offers stunning twists to the familiar." —R. Zamora Linmark, author of The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart and Leche
"Siasoco writes the kind of emotionally complex observation that makes you say, ah, this is life . . . Each of the stories in The Foley Artist is funny, affectionate, tough, brainy, and subversive, and each one lingers a long, long time. I couldn't put it down and I already want to go back." —Paul Lisicky, author of Later and The Narrow Door
"Siasoco performs more than a little magic in the pages of The Foley Artist. Nine stories, seemingly straightforward. But there are worlds within worlds here. Ricco is suave with his sentences, nimble in his ability to move from humor to pathos. More than anything, he can explore the universal unknown that is the human heart. It was a joy to read and learn from The Foley Artist." —Charles Bock, bestselling author of Alice & Oliver
"Siasoco takes us to Des Moines, Boston, Manila, Los Angeles, and all the other places where Filipinos are, and centers our stories with beautiful, powerful, and complicated characters at their most intimate, life-shifting moments. Siasoco's writing constantly pushes towards the truth of a moment, even when we want to look away. His writing is compassionate, generous, funny, and exuberant. The Foley Artist is Siasoco's debut, but this is the book of a writer who has taken their time to publish extraordinary, brave stories exploring our human experience." —Grace Talusan, author of The Body Papers
A compelling debut for fans of the Filipino America brought to life in fiction by Elaine Castillo and Mia Alvar.
At once deliciously bizarre and painfully familiar, The Foley Artist introduces a vital new voice to Asian American literature. Ricco Villanueva Siasoco's powerful debut collection opens new regions of American feeling and thought as it interrogates intimacy, foreignness, and silence in an absurd world.
These nine stories give voice to the intersectional identities of women and men in the Filipino diaspora in America: a straight woman attends her ex-boyfriend's same-sex marriage in coastal Maine; a college-bound teenager encounters his deaf uncle in Manila; Asian American drag queens duke it out in the annual Iowa State Fair; a seventy-nine-year-old foley artist recreates the sounds of life, but is finally unable to save himself.
"A collection like a circus of daredevils, but with the determined charm of a Chinese drag queen making her home in Iowa. Siasoco takes us on a trip through the world we know by way of characters I've not seen in fiction before, or at least, not enough of--characters with stories I have been waiting for. A bravura debut." —Alexander Chee, author of How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
"The Foley Artist is Ricco Villanueva Siasoco's book of wonders--filled with compelling and unpredictable stories that alternate between dark and light. It marks the exciting debut of a bold and brilliant new writer. A kickass read!" —Jessica Hagedorn, author of Dogeaters and Toxicology
"Clever, vivid, and poignant, The Foley Artist is a treasure. Ricco Villanueva Siasoco nimbly guides us from drag shows in Des Moines to wrestling rings in greater Boston, from wet markets in Manila to porn shops in West Hollywood, in prose that sings with tenderness, humor, and insight. Here are Filipino-American lives and queer lives in all their glorious complexity, and here is a debut author in full command of his wide-ranging imagination." —Mia Alvar, award-winning author of In the Country
"These captivating and interconnected stories about fusion and friction--familial, cultural, racial, and sexual--read like quiet punches in the gut. A poignant and, at times, heart-stabbing, collection that offers stunning twists to the familiar." —R. Zamora Linmark, author of The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart and Leche
"Siasoco writes the kind of emotionally complex observation that makes you say, ah, this is life . . . Each of the stories in The Foley Artist is funny, affectionate, tough, brainy, and subversive, and each one lingers a long, long time. I couldn't put it down and I already want to go back." —Paul Lisicky, author of Later and The Narrow Door
"Siasoco performs more than a little magic in the pages of The Foley Artist. Nine stories, seemingly straightforward. But there are worlds within worlds here. Ricco is suave with his sentences, nimble in his ability to move from humor to pathos. More than anything, he can explore the universal unknown that is the human heart. It was a joy to read and learn from The Foley Artist." —Charles Bock, bestselling author of Alice & Oliver
"Siasoco takes us to Des Moines, Boston, Manila, Los Angeles, and all the other places where Filipinos are, and centers our stories with beautiful, powerful, and complicated characters at their most intimate, life-shifting moments. Siasoco's writing constantly pushes towards the truth of a moment, even when we want to look away. His writing is compassionate, generous, funny, and exuberant. The Foley Artist is Siasoco's debut, but this is the book of a writer who has taken their time to publish extraordinary, brave stories exploring our human experience." —Grace Talusan, author of The Body Papers
156 pages, Paperback
First published September 29, 2019
2 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Ricco Villanueva Siasoco
3 books15 followersRicco Villanueva Siasoco is a writer, educator, and activist. He received his MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars and has taught at Boston College, Columbia University, and the Massachusetts College of Art. Ricco has received fellowships from The Center for Fiction, Lambda Literary, and The National Endowment for the Humanities. He is a board member of Kundiman, a national literary organization dedicated to Asian American literature. Ricco lives in Los Angeles. The Foley Artist is his first book.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 25, 2020
Short stories with some connecting characters - all very Filipino and many very queer - I will look forward to more from this author!
August 17, 2023
3 stars. Centering the Filipino-American queer experience in a series of interwoven stories, I'm glad that I finally sat down and read The Foley Artist: Stories.
August 27, 2020
I have been a fan of Ricco's writing for about 35 years now. The stories in this collection are haunting, beautiful, painful, and entertaining... all tied together with a single thread that weaves throughout the collection, binding each one together. Can't wait to see what's ahead in the next 35 years, Ricco!
February 17, 2020
Interconnected stories finishing with a speculative one. Great characters with thoughtful interiors.
May 3, 2020
Stories:
The Rice Bowl
Deaf Mute
Nicolette and Maribel
Wrestlers
The Foley Artist
A Visit to California
Dandy
Good Men
Babies
Filipino stories cover to cover. Loved the characters that Siasoco created, even the intensely unlikable ones. At times tender or absurd or unsettling. We got off to a rocky start, these stories and I. I had a hard time staying focused so ended up setting the book down for a couple weeks. Glad I picked it up again and gave it another shot.
The Rice Bowl
Deaf Mute
Nicolette and Maribel
Wrestlers
The Foley Artist
A Visit to California
Dandy
Good Men
Babies
Filipino stories cover to cover. Loved the characters that Siasoco created, even the intensely unlikable ones. At times tender or absurd or unsettling. We got off to a rocky start, these stories and I. I had a hard time staying focused so ended up setting the book down for a couple weeks. Glad I picked it up again and gave it another shot.
October 29, 2024
[Read for School]— at first I was put off by the presence of sex in this book, but over the course of reading the book, I began to understand the story the author was trying to convey over the anthology. However, I still remain firm that there should not have been a sexual scene between a 17 year old boy and his 27 year old wrestling coach, because the point could have easily been conveyed in a college setting (where everyone is an adult) rather than a high school, or better yet, not at all. There is no amount of plot device that can justify this. For that, this book gets two stars.
October 9, 2021
Siasoco captures the moments in his characters' lives when they are most vulnerable, when they don't think they are vulnerable, when they are more often than not ready for the truth - and confronts them with truths and revelations about their lives. Those moments shine, bristle with energy, and are illuminated with wise and wide eyes and heart. His prose is precise and sure-footed. The last story in the collection, Babies, struck me in the heart.
November 15, 2021
Quiet but vibrant, Siasoco’s collection of short stories are deftly crafted with a touching and detached tenderness that aches as you read them. Each carefully shaped story reflects the author’s personal search for his own emotional home. Moving and important.
March 21, 2022
A compact yet satisfying set of short stories that feels like it traces the author’s personal journey of understanding and integrating his Filipino-American and LGBTQ identities. Wonderfully captures the discomfort of being an outsider in a predominantly white and cis-het world.
April 29, 2020
This was a pretty good debut collection, and I liked the loose connections between the various stories. The first story, "The Rice Bowl," was probably my favorite.
June 27, 2020
📚📚📚1/2
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews