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It has been a while since I have gotten my hands on a Bob Ong book, and it wasn't until this year that I discovered that he released a new title... about two years ago.
Considering his popularity and the quality of his work, it does not come as a surprise that copies of "Si" sold like hotcakes, which explains why I never saw it in bookstores, causing me to become unaware of its existence until recently.
That is why the moment I saw a copy of "Si" sitting on the shelf of a popular bookstore, I grabbed it like the hot commodity it was.
In truth, I have already read the book back in January or early February, I think, but decided to make a review about it just now because I had to reread it over and over again. And that is the great thing about this book.
You see, "Si" (see what I did there?) is a love story written in Filipino, told in a reverse chronological order. It is told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator and revolves around his love for a woman named Victoria.
Because events unfold in a backwards manner, readers will be introduced to the future selves of the characters in the book and will learn about their backstories later. This gives you the feeling that you are getting hit with one plot twist after another, creating an image of the characters in your head only to have Ong shatter it later with their surprising origins in the succeeding pages.
In addition, "Si" puts the spotlight on love itself -- the feelings, experiences and consequences that come with it -- instead of focusing on the people who feel or experience it. Thus, it is not your everyday love story.
Although "Si" is a far cry from Bob Ong's humor filled classics "ABNKKBSNPLAko?!" and "Bakit Baligtad Magbasa ng Libro ang mga Pilipino?", the abovementioned features made the book great in its own right and gave it so much reread value. Often times, I found myself caught off guard by a character's backstory that I had to go a back a few pages just to make sure I'm not mistaking one character for another.
Also, reading "Si" from the last page to the first gives you a different perspective and attitude towards its story that it is like reading a different book.
If you're looking for a fresh take on love or have never been told a love story backwards, this book will deliver the goods.
Rating: 3.5 out 5
