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The Collected Stories of Jessica Zafra
Collecting short stories from:
The Stories so Far (2016)
Manananggal Terrorizes Manila and Other Stories (1992)
Plus 3 Uncollected Stories
The Stories so Far (2016)
Manananggal Terrorizes Manila and Other Stories (1992)
Plus 3 Uncollected Stories
254 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
27 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Zafra
29 books330 followersJessica Zafra (born 1965) is a fiction writer, columnist, editor, publisher and former television and radio show host. She is known for her sharp and witty writing style. Her most popular books are the Twisted series, a collection of her essays as a columnist for newspaper Today (now Manila Standard Today), as well as from her time as editor and publisher of the magazine Flip. She currently writes a weekly column for The Philippine Star which is called, Emotional Weather Report. She resides in Metro Manila, Philippines, where she is working on her first novel. She also managed the Eraserheads during the 90's.
Her work often are about current events (both Philippine and international), tennis, movies, music, cats, books, technology and her personal life. Her work has been the subject of academic study. The main ingredient to her work is often fun cynicism and irony.
Find out more about her here.
Her work often are about current events (both Philippine and international), tennis, movies, music, cats, books, technology and her personal life. Her work has been the subject of academic study. The main ingredient to her work is often fun cynicism and irony.
Find out more about her here.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
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October 22, 2019Had to read Jessica’s two short story collections and a few uncollected stories because I, uh, wrote the introduction on this one haha.
July 23, 2025
A good collection of new and old stories, and quite a trip down memory lane. I think every pseudo-intellectual middle-class Manila kid in the 90s went through their Zafra phase, and I was no exception. Her stories have always been more observational, never really going anywhere, but I think that's the point. Not everything has aged pristinely, but I will always appreciate her caustic wit, in our society of excessive politeness and deference to authority.
June 23, 2024
For Manananggal Terrorizes Manila,
Jessica Zafra writes with her voice, organically. She says the best well to draw material from is your own life. But as a collection of stories, as a tasting menu perhaps, its as if she presents 15 plates of ramen, all slightly different yet still ramen, essentially the same. Most of the stories in her first collection sounded the exact same. Her stories aren’t monotonous, but derivative of itself. I don’t deny Zafra’s natural ability to flow a narrative, and she has enough wit in how she explores her own humanity. For example, she doesn’t explain her womanhood. But she manifests it. Into a monster. Into news that the world is ending. Her human spirit isn’t something to be shown, but expressed through the experience of perceiving (and epitomizing) something outside of the self. What Zafra does effectively is how she reveals humanity, how it does not just exist in an internal space, but exists in the spaces that we perceive and experience, in objects to touch, stories to hear, and a manananggal to fear. But if wit is manifested the same way every page, is it still witty? I don’t think so. A lack of variety in voice and the repetitive and rehashed whiney introspection becomes a chore to read, but in a way that some chores can still be fun, just not all.
For The Stories So Far
When I say voice, I mean tone. Though “voices” shift, tone stays the same. The stories I enjoyed were the ones about Jude, some out of all of the stories that featured a recurring character which was Jude. Because Zafra is excellent at keeping consistent, in keeping her universe sound and straight as she plays god, but what’s demanded from the form she chooses to play with is variety, is difference, is inconsistence, which is what’s more organic with multiple stories because different stories imply different lives, which is inherently inconsistent. There were attempts at difference, but they were polarizing like Trains to me was so jarring and incomprehensible. But again its the same story, suicidal undertones, or a woman on the fringe (or a man who I don’t realize is a man until referred to as such, a testament to how unfortunately consistent Zafra remains), or a child who hates their parents.
As a collection
I’m no authority on short stories. But I am an authority on what I like, on what I believe makes a good short story. Jessica Zafra already shocked me with her micro-fictions; most short stories of other writers I’ve read were around 15 pages, these were less than a third of that but I had no issue against it, she wrote well. But it gets tiring listening to the same friend talk forever so this book made me tired.
Jessica Zafra writes with her voice, organically. She says the best well to draw material from is your own life. But as a collection of stories, as a tasting menu perhaps, its as if she presents 15 plates of ramen, all slightly different yet still ramen, essentially the same. Most of the stories in her first collection sounded the exact same. Her stories aren’t monotonous, but derivative of itself. I don’t deny Zafra’s natural ability to flow a narrative, and she has enough wit in how she explores her own humanity. For example, she doesn’t explain her womanhood. But she manifests it. Into a monster. Into news that the world is ending. Her human spirit isn’t something to be shown, but expressed through the experience of perceiving (and epitomizing) something outside of the self. What Zafra does effectively is how she reveals humanity, how it does not just exist in an internal space, but exists in the spaces that we perceive and experience, in objects to touch, stories to hear, and a manananggal to fear. But if wit is manifested the same way every page, is it still witty? I don’t think so. A lack of variety in voice and the repetitive and rehashed whiney introspection becomes a chore to read, but in a way that some chores can still be fun, just not all.
For The Stories So Far
When I say voice, I mean tone. Though “voices” shift, tone stays the same. The stories I enjoyed were the ones about Jude, some out of all of the stories that featured a recurring character which was Jude. Because Zafra is excellent at keeping consistent, in keeping her universe sound and straight as she plays god, but what’s demanded from the form she chooses to play with is variety, is difference, is inconsistence, which is what’s more organic with multiple stories because different stories imply different lives, which is inherently inconsistent. There were attempts at difference, but they were polarizing like Trains to me was so jarring and incomprehensible. But again its the same story, suicidal undertones, or a woman on the fringe (or a man who I don’t realize is a man until referred to as such, a testament to how unfortunately consistent Zafra remains), or a child who hates their parents.
As a collection
I’m no authority on short stories. But I am an authority on what I like, on what I believe makes a good short story. Jessica Zafra already shocked me with her micro-fictions; most short stories of other writers I’ve read were around 15 pages, these were less than a third of that but I had no issue against it, she wrote well. But it gets tiring listening to the same friend talk forever so this book made me tired.
May 31, 2023
The last story left me feeling bittersweet 😭 but this is a good book! if you want to read a book without committing to long stories and plots, this is good for you!!
December 22, 2024
clearly I've never had an original thought in my life
November 22, 2020
The review is taken from my book review in Instagram: @descanto
Jessica Zafra: a little bit of wittiness on a gloomy day!
When @enthalpybooks was on his work trip, I begged him to grab some of works by Philippines writers. I was thinking about reading Lualhati Bautista's Decada 70. I've always wanted to read the book because I was curious about Marcos's dictatorship regime. Ucha came out with the news: No Bautista's works are available in English. You can grab another piece of Jose Rizal's elsewhere but I have found you a book by another Ph writer at @_fullybooked !
The book was on my hands while ago. I know it took me a while to read it but yay, I made it 👏🏻!
The book contains the collection of short stories from her previous ones: The Stories so Far (2016) and Manananggal Terrorises Manila (1992). The characters are often so depressing and in several stories, the readers will have to guess the ending but that's okay. There is nothing wrong with that. We are reading for fun anyway!
Zafra also tells the stories that we often face in our daily life. A story about somebody who wants to become a writer so bad and his parents are very much against the idea, a poet-to-be living a depressive life. I admire Zafra's ability to offer the readers different sphere of short stories. The short stories even the most dark and gloomy ones like Kind of Brown or Doppelgänger are written with wittiness wrapped a dry clownish comedy.
Zafra is also playful in writing, she writes Lamentation 5:23 added a commoner's lamentation when Lamentation 5 only consist 22 verses in the bible. Last story about the cats is touching. I feel that Zafra- in most of the short stories here talk about herself: sometimes she's gloomy, dark, witty most of the time and is very fond of cats.
Ah @jessicazafrascats Zafra enriches the Philippines literature with the wittiness in the stories!
The quote I love the most from this book is:
"At these times, it seems that love is cruel and useless. Obviously if we didn't love, we would not feel like our chests were being trampled by a herd of elephants. But to avoid love in order to prevent pain is to miss the points of being human."
Jessica Zafra: a little bit of wittiness on a gloomy day!
When @enthalpybooks was on his work trip, I begged him to grab some of works by Philippines writers. I was thinking about reading Lualhati Bautista's Decada 70. I've always wanted to read the book because I was curious about Marcos's dictatorship regime. Ucha came out with the news: No Bautista's works are available in English. You can grab another piece of Jose Rizal's elsewhere but I have found you a book by another Ph writer at @_fullybooked !
The book was on my hands while ago. I know it took me a while to read it but yay, I made it 👏🏻!
The book contains the collection of short stories from her previous ones: The Stories so Far (2016) and Manananggal Terrorises Manila (1992). The characters are often so depressing and in several stories, the readers will have to guess the ending but that's okay. There is nothing wrong with that. We are reading for fun anyway!
Zafra also tells the stories that we often face in our daily life. A story about somebody who wants to become a writer so bad and his parents are very much against the idea, a poet-to-be living a depressive life. I admire Zafra's ability to offer the readers different sphere of short stories. The short stories even the most dark and gloomy ones like Kind of Brown or Doppelgänger are written with wittiness wrapped a dry clownish comedy.
Zafra is also playful in writing, she writes Lamentation 5:23 added a commoner's lamentation when Lamentation 5 only consist 22 verses in the bible. Last story about the cats is touching. I feel that Zafra- in most of the short stories here talk about herself: sometimes she's gloomy, dark, witty most of the time and is very fond of cats.
Ah @jessicazafrascats Zafra enriches the Philippines literature with the wittiness in the stories!
The quote I love the most from this book is:
"At these times, it seems that love is cruel and useless. Obviously if we didn't love, we would not feel like our chests were being trampled by a herd of elephants. But to avoid love in order to prevent pain is to miss the points of being human."
October 23, 2020
Took me two months to finish this because I got so busy. That's a pretty long time considering that this is such a short book. Because it took me that long, I'm afraid I can no longer write a good review for this book (not that I write good book reviews in general lol, but ya know), but what I can say is that I liked it! Loved Jessica Zafra's humor and writing. Can't believe it took me many years to pick up one of her works, although I've been wanting to read her since forever.
This collection was like a bag of mixed nuts. You'll never know what you'll get next. And like any bag of mixed nuts, there are ones that I enjoyed and ones that I didn't. But, nonetheless, this was an impressive collection!
And I agree with one of the reviews here on Goodreads—Jessica Zafra's voice is too distinguishable, I almost felt she was the narrator for all the short stories. Not sure yet if it's a good thing or a bad thing, though.
While I loved majority of the short stories, if I have to choose one favorite, it would be the last one, which was made up of obituaries for her three cats. I love animals, particularly dogs and cats, and I've had pets my whole life, too, and have seen the death of three dogs, so it really tugged at my heartstrings. My most favorite quotes from the book are from that short story:
"At these times it seems that love is cruel and useless. Obviously if we didn’t love, we would not feel like our chests were being trampled by a herd of elephants. But to avoid love in order to prevent pain is to miss the point of being human."
"What did I get out of this? I had someone to love beyond logic. You have to give your love to something, or it turns rancid and bitter. Being loved is wonderful, but loving is essential."
I now get why people love Jessica Zafra.
This collection was like a bag of mixed nuts. You'll never know what you'll get next. And like any bag of mixed nuts, there are ones that I enjoyed and ones that I didn't. But, nonetheless, this was an impressive collection!
And I agree with one of the reviews here on Goodreads—Jessica Zafra's voice is too distinguishable, I almost felt she was the narrator for all the short stories. Not sure yet if it's a good thing or a bad thing, though.
While I loved majority of the short stories, if I have to choose one favorite, it would be the last one, which was made up of obituaries for her three cats. I love animals, particularly dogs and cats, and I've had pets my whole life, too, and have seen the death of three dogs, so it really tugged at my heartstrings. My most favorite quotes from the book are from that short story:
"At these times it seems that love is cruel and useless. Obviously if we didn’t love, we would not feel like our chests were being trampled by a herd of elephants. But to avoid love in order to prevent pain is to miss the point of being human."
"What did I get out of this? I had someone to love beyond logic. You have to give your love to something, or it turns rancid and bitter. Being loved is wonderful, but loving is essential."
I now get why people love Jessica Zafra.
January 14, 2022
Jessica Zafra is the most sarcastic Filipino writer that I know which means that I would undoubtedly love her on the page. With this also comes the fear of knowing that someone like Zafra exists as she would most likely eat anyone alive with her sarcasm. Though her wit really was charming, sometimes I wonder if it's enough to make up for the often senseless banality of some of her stories. Though I think it is not the banality per se that is the problem (as often her characters have the most commonplace of backgrounds and yet they are still written in an exciting and intriguing manner) but what seems to be Zafra's anxious consciousness of this triteness that pushes her to end some of her stories with endings that aim to shock and disturb but unfortunately land flat. Still, it is not an all-encompassing quality of the work presented in this book. Some stories of hers are really good. They are absurd, experimental, really funny, and at times, even touching. Zafra makes the most mundane details sound really interesting, thanks to her natural sarcastic charm, and through this, she reminds us to maintain a perceptive and attentive eye to the commonplace—the details of a house help's shirt, the ramblings of an evangelical in the bus—things that get lost in the humdrum of daily life but otherwise would make for a good story.
January 2, 2021
It was a nice touch getting this for Christmas, lovingly covered in a clear plastic wrap, with traditional folds and clear tape - thank you Ruth!
What can I say about Jessica Zafra that friends don't already know - I grew up devouring her books. Growing up, I would save most of my money for the next new Twisted. My Mum would cross her arms and read the back blurb every time I would bring a new one home. "Why would you want to read this?", she wailed. "Why do you like her? She is so full of herself." Humility is not one of her strongest suits, but she was smart, she was confident and she was everything I wanted to be.
The reality is, you would soon grow out of your heroes, even the ones you put in a pedestal. You read more books, develop different tastes, and I don't know, want different things. I digress. I guess what I wanted to say is that I've read most of the stories in this collection, memorised some lines by heart, knew the backstories - it wasn't anything new. However, at the end of the book were obituaries about her cats, and even though I've already read about Saffy, I still cried openly about the cats that made her sane. Honestly, JZ would always have a piece of my heart.
What can I say about Jessica Zafra that friends don't already know - I grew up devouring her books. Growing up, I would save most of my money for the next new Twisted. My Mum would cross her arms and read the back blurb every time I would bring a new one home. "Why would you want to read this?", she wailed. "Why do you like her? She is so full of herself." Humility is not one of her strongest suits, but she was smart, she was confident and she was everything I wanted to be.
The reality is, you would soon grow out of your heroes, even the ones you put in a pedestal. You read more books, develop different tastes, and I don't know, want different things. I digress. I guess what I wanted to say is that I've read most of the stories in this collection, memorised some lines by heart, knew the backstories - it wasn't anything new. However, at the end of the book were obituaries about her cats, and even though I've already read about Saffy, I still cried openly about the cats that made her sane. Honestly, JZ would always have a piece of my heart.
April 14, 2024
i finished it all in one sitting— that’s how gripping it was in guess! And that also says a lot considering it’s a collection of stories so i was literally free to put it down at any point, but I just pressed on page after page, living different lives one after the other. (+ although tbf the first section really had me kinda dragging myself , and required more patience but i had the day off so i pushed through and didnt regret it in the end at least!)
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I enjoyed the second section the most— if id pick favorites , typing this now some titles come to mind: Lamentations 32 something, Spaghetti, 916,915,914(??)(everybody just living their own main character lives simultaneously— oh and bonus metaverse on the apartment short brill!!!), Clear (very nearly shed a tear while i was out reading in public in a cafe, but didnt— im just personally too soft for death as a literary subject, and it was so graphic too), and that three cat uhh i wannay say, obituaries? made me want to FINALLY adopt a cat😿
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I enjoyed the second section the most— if id pick favorites , typing this now some titles come to mind: Lamentations 32 something, Spaghetti, 916,915,914(??)(everybody just living their own main character lives simultaneously— oh and bonus metaverse on the apartment short brill!!!), Clear (very nearly shed a tear while i was out reading in public in a cafe, but didnt— im just personally too soft for death as a literary subject, and it was so graphic too), and that three cat uhh i wannay say, obituaries? made me want to FINALLY adopt a cat😿
October 4, 2025
Jessica Zafra's wit and sarcasm serve as a powerful narrative voice within these stories. However, I would say that at time it sounds like we're following the same character throughout these various stories—despite their various contexts. I think that, again, boils down with how strong Zafra's writing voice is. Not that I'm complaining.
I loved the observational humor and, at times, absurdity of these stories. Particularly, I loved the concept of Liberty and Lamentations 5:23. I am just a sucker for bouncing between the perspectives of different—yet interconnected—characters.
The last story (should I even call it that?) was a gut-punch. Although sone stories echoed sentimentality in a subtle way, like "Clear" and "My Dog is Dead," "Obituaries for Three Cats" was an emotional downpour. It was such a sad, yet lovely way to end the collection. No other words—Koosi, Mat, and Saffy were all loved deeply.
I loved the observational humor and, at times, absurdity of these stories. Particularly, I loved the concept of Liberty and Lamentations 5:23. I am just a sucker for bouncing between the perspectives of different—yet interconnected—characters.
The last story (should I even call it that?) was a gut-punch. Although sone stories echoed sentimentality in a subtle way, like "Clear" and "My Dog is Dead," "Obituaries for Three Cats" was an emotional downpour. It was such a sad, yet lovely way to end the collection. No other words—Koosi, Mat, and Saffy were all loved deeply.
December 28, 2021
My first Jessica Zafra short story was "Portents" in high school. I was tasked to make a mini script about it for a theatrical play we were doing for a subject, and if I didn't understand it as much then, I do now. I'm delighted that I own a copy of her stories that range from a relatively normal storytelling to stories that give you goosebumps and makes you think more afterwards. Some favorites are Manananggal Terrorizes Manila, Doppelganger, Ten Thousand Easters at the Vatican, Spelling Bee, The Starlet Suicides.
October 11, 2022
+ The story about the cats is beautiful, especially the hospital scenes. I probably would have finished the book faster if half the pages were that story. It's touching and funny.
+ Spelling Bee seems like the PH version of Magnolia. I'd watch Dinner in Paris if it was a movie. And 914.
- There are times where the weirdness could have been toned down. The more grounded, serious stories were better.
+ Spelling Bee seems like the PH version of Magnolia. I'd watch Dinner in Paris if it was a movie. And 914.
- There are times where the weirdness could have been toned down. The more grounded, serious stories were better.
December 31, 2022
"but to avoid love in order to prevent pain is to miss the point of being human"
3.5!! definitely didn't Get some of the stories but overall it was such a fun read and i'm glad i got to finish it by the end of the year. also jessica zafra is so cool i look up to her now T___T love how she incorporates politics in such a funny but sensical way! my personal faves here are the starlet suicides, 914, 915, 916, and orbituaries for three cats (🥺)
3.5!! definitely didn't Get some of the stories but overall it was such a fun read and i'm glad i got to finish it by the end of the year. also jessica zafra is so cool i look up to her now T___T love how she incorporates politics in such a funny but sensical way! my personal faves here are the starlet suicides, 914, 915, 916, and orbituaries for three cats (🥺)
July 25, 2023
I love it whenever she paints manila sa hideously because tama. I love how she can effortlessly weave together different narratives of a good number of characters all in one story. I wished some of the short stories ended more satisfyingly tho. But overall, it was such a great read! No story was boring nor felt forced.
March 16, 2023
Really entertaining and mind boggling read. Just when you think it wouldn’t go there, oh it would. Only problem was the omniscient pov that makes it hard to distinguish which character was talking. Would definitely re-read the shorts after quite some time.
Favorite Shorts:
Lamentations 5:23
914, 915, 916
Obituaries for three Cats
Favorite Shorts:
Lamentations 5:23
914, 915, 916
Obituaries for three Cats
August 31, 2020
It's Jessica Zafra alright.
November 18, 2021
Jessica Zafra's short stories are impeccable. She also presents Filipino culture and angsty politician views in a creative way.
October 22, 2024
How am I just discovering Jessica Zafra’s writings in my 30s? brb, scouring the orange app for more of her books!!!
October 12, 2025
Only jessica zafra can capture such a specific image that brings memories of nostalgia
November 1, 2025
I am in a terrible book slump and this collection of short stories made me pick up the pace somehow.
January 25, 2020
Three-fourths into the collection, the stories began to sound very one note. I found myself getting tired of the characters' self-involved monologues and Zafra's irrepressibly slapstick humor. These stories mostly revolve around geeks and outliers, giving voice to both the disaffected and the pretentious, with majority of these situations being drawn from Zafra's own life. When the stories hit their stride (such as in "Portents" or my personal favorite "Clear"), Zafra displays a remarkable and even affecting restraint: the characters' interior lives seem to slowly, patiently unfold from the page with their tone complementing the absurd turns of the plot.
This is an uneven collection, however. A few stories (“Spelling Bee,” “Concussion,” and "The Starlet Suicides" being the worst offender) were just plain difficult to read because of the overwhelming solipsism of their narrators. The primary motive of these stories, it seemed, was to shock—their characters corresponding to a firebrand with no actual cause, employing rhetoric as a linguistic crutch. A mixed bag overall.
This is an uneven collection, however. A few stories (“Spelling Bee,” “Concussion,” and "The Starlet Suicides" being the worst offender) were just plain difficult to read because of the overwhelming solipsism of their narrators. The primary motive of these stories, it seemed, was to shock—their characters corresponding to a firebrand with no actual cause, employing rhetoric as a linguistic crutch. A mixed bag overall.
January 12, 2025
she has that sharp and witty writing style that i loved in the age of umbrage, quite an enjoyable collection actually!
favorites from manananggal terrorizes manila and other stories (1992): portents (!!!), manananggal terrorizes manila, romeo et al, ten thousand easters at the vatican, the wide open eye of madness
favorites from the stories so far (2016): heavy metal, spelling bee, 914 915 916, clear
favorites from uncollected stories: miss liberty (!!!), obituaries for three cats (i crode)
favorites from manananggal terrorizes manila and other stories (1992): portents (!!!), manananggal terrorizes manila, romeo et al, ten thousand easters at the vatican, the wide open eye of madness
favorites from the stories so far (2016): heavy metal, spelling bee, 914 915 916, clear
favorites from uncollected stories: miss liberty (!!!), obituaries for three cats (i crode)
October 24, 2019
Jessica Zafra will always be one of my writing idols. Her trademark irony, hyperbole, and barbed wit are in full display in her story collection. Lota of good stories here (standouts: The Starlet Suicides and Clear) although some stories didn't quite leave a lasting impression. I still had a great time reading the stories.
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