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Variations on Forgetting
Jin Mah, an old man who owns a shabby Chinese restaurant, refuses to sell his property to the almighty masters of development. Until one day, his restaurant was burned into ashes.
Trapped in the tyranny of his past, he meets two young souls who will remind him that protecting one’s own empire of memory is a far greater task.
A philosophical query on longing and impermanence, “Variations on Forgetting,” the short debut novel of Philippine Daily Inquirer reporter Mariejo S. Ramos, sieves the many forms of forgetting we experience within the labyrinths of urban life, the fleetingness of love and the cruelty of fragmented memory.
Trapped in the tyranny of his past, he meets two young souls who will remind him that protecting one’s own empire of memory is a far greater task.
A philosophical query on longing and impermanence, “Variations on Forgetting,” the short debut novel of Philippine Daily Inquirer reporter Mariejo S. Ramos, sieves the many forms of forgetting we experience within the labyrinths of urban life, the fleetingness of love and the cruelty of fragmented memory.
109 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2021
9 people want to read
About the author
Mariejo S. Ramos
1 book3 followersMariejo S. Ramos is an award-winning journalist based in Manila, Philippines. She has written stories about various social justice issues, including the Philippine drug war, displacement of indigenous communities and the urban poor, the plight of female prisoners and farmers, and people with mental illnesses and mental health challenges.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 14, 2021
Title: Variations on Forgetting
Author: Mariejo S. Ramos
Publisher: Central Book Supply, Inc.
What do we do when forgetting becomes inevitable?
What do memories do to us in the first place that we clung to them so much and sometimes to the point of desperation?
This is what the book Variations on Forgetting is exploring on. Written by Mariejo Ramos, a Filipino journalist, as her first novel. It talks about different ways of how people deal with memories–forgetting and remembering–and how it plays tricks on them. How the memories affect us from the personal level to the bigger picture as these memories touch the lives of the people around us.
The story is set in Manila, Philippines. Here, people have a low quality of life, but still, a life, that some of them choose to leave and have a brand new one. And this is where the conflict comes in, our main characters are trying to keep their memories. Jin, who resists surrendering the only memories he has. Penny, whose memories are constantly fading. And Jude, who finds ways to preserve the memories because he knows they will be gone someday. And also the antagonist of the story, The Builders, has an unknown identity and also the reason why people decide that forgetting is rather a convenient choice. These characters, along with the minor ones told in the book, face the consequences that come along with forgetting and remembering.
There's a lot to talk about because the stories speak on so many levels. It's such a brilliant idea to write the novel in fragments of stories because it helped prove a point that memories can be a specific scene or event but it also creates a whole story when interconnected. Also, the way that the author puts the words into sentences is so mesmerizing, it creates a rhythm and it sounds like poetry. The author also used a lot of poetic devices here especially when laying abstract ideas, she used symbolism and metaphor so well that it became easy for readers to understand her words. The use of specific places in Manila took a grip on readers' attention. The imagery made a picturesque scene and it transports the readers into the world of the novel and it feels familiar, especially to Filipinos.
The author describes memories here as a record that tell us who we are–our history. And as the book had quoted, "A person without a history can be anyone else." But the main characters here have no choice but to forget. Unlike the other characters that can stand on their decisions, the main ones struggled so hard but their efforts were in vain. This struggle was called by the author as "resistance" in this part of the book, "So this is resistance – against those who want to take away the little love left, the limited choice in life, the option to die or to continue, inside [us]." Our identity is tied to our memories because it answers the question of who we are and gives us the fulfillment of understanding ourselves deeply. From there, we will be able to know what to do next. A thing as simple as memory dictates what will happen to our lives.
The book also says that aside from ourselves, it is important to keep the memories collectively, because it is also the history of our community. Having the same identity as the community gives us a sense of belongingness and we can have something to call our own. It's not about just us, but also the lives of future generations.
Overall, I enjoyed the book but I know that I still have a lot to take in. It helped me explore myself and ask better questions. It is fascinating and different as a story but the ideas offer so much more. The characters are relatable, as well as their endeavors. The setting is vivid and the conflict is very timely in our pandemic situation. The novel is comfort and disturbance at the same time because it will force you to take action, which is needed nowadays.
I recommend this book to people who are still trying to find their place in the world. Reading this may not be a smooth ride for some, because you have to read several pages to understand what's going on but it's worth it. I recommend this to Filipinos because this is us, and also to others who simply want to rethink. I give this book a 10 out of 10-rating because I am so thrilled to encounter this and I know I will read this over and over again.
I will end this review with one last quote from the book which I think is an important takeaway: "I want you to remember this: You need to protect yourself from losing who you are – everything is perishable."
------------------
Visit the website of Central Book Supply, Inc. (https://central.com.ph/bookstoreplus/...) or Publish on Demand by Central Books' Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/commerce/pro...) for more details about this book and how to purchase it.
Enjoy reading!
Author: Mariejo S. Ramos
Publisher: Central Book Supply, Inc.
What do we do when forgetting becomes inevitable?
What do memories do to us in the first place that we clung to them so much and sometimes to the point of desperation?
This is what the book Variations on Forgetting is exploring on. Written by Mariejo Ramos, a Filipino journalist, as her first novel. It talks about different ways of how people deal with memories–forgetting and remembering–and how it plays tricks on them. How the memories affect us from the personal level to the bigger picture as these memories touch the lives of the people around us.
The story is set in Manila, Philippines. Here, people have a low quality of life, but still, a life, that some of them choose to leave and have a brand new one. And this is where the conflict comes in, our main characters are trying to keep their memories. Jin, who resists surrendering the only memories he has. Penny, whose memories are constantly fading. And Jude, who finds ways to preserve the memories because he knows they will be gone someday. And also the antagonist of the story, The Builders, has an unknown identity and also the reason why people decide that forgetting is rather a convenient choice. These characters, along with the minor ones told in the book, face the consequences that come along with forgetting and remembering.
There's a lot to talk about because the stories speak on so many levels. It's such a brilliant idea to write the novel in fragments of stories because it helped prove a point that memories can be a specific scene or event but it also creates a whole story when interconnected. Also, the way that the author puts the words into sentences is so mesmerizing, it creates a rhythm and it sounds like poetry. The author also used a lot of poetic devices here especially when laying abstract ideas, she used symbolism and metaphor so well that it became easy for readers to understand her words. The use of specific places in Manila took a grip on readers' attention. The imagery made a picturesque scene and it transports the readers into the world of the novel and it feels familiar, especially to Filipinos.
The author describes memories here as a record that tell us who we are–our history. And as the book had quoted, "A person without a history can be anyone else." But the main characters here have no choice but to forget. Unlike the other characters that can stand on their decisions, the main ones struggled so hard but their efforts were in vain. This struggle was called by the author as "resistance" in this part of the book, "So this is resistance – against those who want to take away the little love left, the limited choice in life, the option to die or to continue, inside [us]." Our identity is tied to our memories because it answers the question of who we are and gives us the fulfillment of understanding ourselves deeply. From there, we will be able to know what to do next. A thing as simple as memory dictates what will happen to our lives.
The book also says that aside from ourselves, it is important to keep the memories collectively, because it is also the history of our community. Having the same identity as the community gives us a sense of belongingness and we can have something to call our own. It's not about just us, but also the lives of future generations.
Overall, I enjoyed the book but I know that I still have a lot to take in. It helped me explore myself and ask better questions. It is fascinating and different as a story but the ideas offer so much more. The characters are relatable, as well as their endeavors. The setting is vivid and the conflict is very timely in our pandemic situation. The novel is comfort and disturbance at the same time because it will force you to take action, which is needed nowadays.
I recommend this book to people who are still trying to find their place in the world. Reading this may not be a smooth ride for some, because you have to read several pages to understand what's going on but it's worth it. I recommend this to Filipinos because this is us, and also to others who simply want to rethink. I give this book a 10 out of 10-rating because I am so thrilled to encounter this and I know I will read this over and over again.
I will end this review with one last quote from the book which I think is an important takeaway: "I want you to remember this: You need to protect yourself from losing who you are – everything is perishable."
------------------
Visit the website of Central Book Supply, Inc. (https://central.com.ph/bookstoreplus/...) or Publish on Demand by Central Books' Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/commerce/pro...) for more details about this book and how to purchase it.
Enjoy reading!
August 21, 2021
Poetic and melancholic. It leaves me reflective but also quite sad. But isn't life more beautiful because it's fleeting?
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews