Patron Saints Of Nothing

Patron Saints Of Nothing

YA/adult fiction
Jay, protagonist of Randy Ribay's Patron Saints Of Nothing, was
born in the Philippines. When he was still in diapers his parents
moved the family to the United States so he and his siblings could
have better futures.
As his senior year winds down, Jay seems to be living their
dream. He's been accepted into a decent college. He plans to start
in the fall.
Then a phone call changes everything. Jay's father tells him
that his Tito (Uncle) Maning contacted him. His cousin Jun has died.
When he asks what happened things get strange.
"Dad puts his glasses back on but avoids looking at me. He says
nothing for a few beats and then quietly, 'What would it change if you
knew?'
Even more confusing, Tito Maning had decided not to have a funeral.
Jay's mother is more forthcoming. Jun had run away to the
streets where he'd started using meth. But he hadn't died of an
overdose. He'd been shot by the police, another victim of President
Duterte's war on drugs. Even the government pegs the number at a few
thousand, and other sources say it's much higher.
"Jun is gone. And apparently to most people he was nothing more
than a drug addict, a rat transmitting a plague that needed to be
eradicated. It still feels so absurd, so unreal."
Jay gets a message from an account he doesn't recognize. There
is a picture of Jun and the information that he didn't deserve to die,
that he'd done nothing wrong. He had been planning to spend his
spring break hanging out with his best friend and playing video
games. Now he's determined to spend it in the country where his
cousin died searching for the truth...
...It's going to be quite a voyage of discovery.
If you want a compelling narrative seasoned with insights into a
part of the world Americans don't pay enough attention to you'll
really want to get your hands on Patron Saints Of Nothing.
On a purrrsonal note, the heat wave is broken. As I write this the
morning breeze coming through the window is delightfully crisp and
refreshing. I'm especially happy for Eugene and all the others who
have to work outside. I had some big firsts this week. One is that
Orono Thrift Shop reopened. I was there the first day. They must
have known I was coming. I scored two cat shirts. Two: Orono
Library is open. I was able to browse. The librarians were happy to
see me. And I was over the moon to be back. Three: Pastors M&M had
their first open porch hour where people can drop in. I was there.
It was fun. Much more fun than zoom. I have no idea what I'll be up
to this weekend. I hope you have a great weekend. (Jules)
Finally it is nice and cool! I haz so much more energy! (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to the thrift shop volunteers, the
librarians, and Pastors Mariah and Malcolm.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway


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