I had a hard time feeling invested in this novel, and though I was curious about the characters, I didn’t feel like I was rooting for any of them. 

Lali and Pilar are the daughters of a member of the resistance in exile from the Philippines. They grew up primarily in San Francisco, where Lali met and fell in love with Arturo, the godson of The General, whom she eventually married. Their relationship created tension between Lali and Pilar that lasted throughout their lives, alongside the deep love they felt for each other (and Lali’s protective impulse towards Pilar). Initially, the tension between the sisters was primarily based on Pilar’s belief that Lali was betraying their father through her relationship, but as the three teenagers grew up and returned to the Philippines, the tension became more direct as a sort of bizarre love triangle developed. 

Overall, I think that this was a well-crafted story that incorporated romance, sisterhood, politics, wealth, and redemption in a setting that I am not familiar with. I appreciated that the novel was not didactic about Filipino politics and history, and I felt that there was an effective character study taking place. It just didn’t quite register for me.