I read Katrina Tuvera's 203-page novel, The Collaborators, simply one of the finest novels you'll lay your eyes on. It traces the intertwining lives of Carlos and Renata, their daughter Brynne, and Jacob, son of Carlos's friend. The story spans key points in Philippine history: from the Japanese occupation, Martial Law, to the end of the 20th century, with President Estrada's impeachment trial in the background. I ordered the novel, along with a few others, a month ago from the Ateneo Press website, without knowing much about her and her genius. Since I'd started reading it last night, I couldn't put it down. Carlos Armando, 70 years old, will undergo surgery. He looks back at life, feeling the urge to pray. We get the sense that he must be an important man. But even important men must look at mortality at some point. And there he is in the first pages of the novel. He "gazes out the window at a darkening sky and feels the urge to pray. Not a religious ...