The Descartes Highlands: A Novel

One of thePhilippine Daily Inquirer's Top 10 Books of 2014ANewPagesBook Stand Editor's Pick"Darkly spellbinding...With a keen eye for splendor amid the grotesque, Gamalinda writes with a poet's heart and a philosopher's mind, while enthralling readers with emotional, gritty storytelling." (Booklist)"A mesmerizing story full of mystery...intricate...beautiful writing." (Publishers Weekly)"It's Gamalinda's best and most accessible novel yet, deserving to be read by as many people as possible." (Philippine Daily Inquirer)"It felt so easy to get swept up in this novel. The language is beautiful....a beautifully written book." (NewPages)"The wait for Gamalinda's first US based publication was well worth [it]...An indispensable, powerful portrayal of broken families trapped in the centripetal forces of transnational capital and postcolonial politics." (Asian American Literature Fans)"Gamalinda...does indeed write fearlessly...in rich, unflinching prose. This storytelling stayed with me...I was compelled to keep reading by the strength of the writing (it's not for nothing that Gamalinda is the recipient of the Philippine National Book Award, a Palanca Memorial Award, and a Philippine Centennial Prize)." (Galatea Ressurects #24)"I recommend this book to those with large, giving hearts, who can afford to spend the emotional capital demanded here." (Basso Profundo)"The Descartes Highlandsis a psychologically taut drama that unravels right in front of you...I guarantee that you will be richly rewarded." (Zachary Mule)"Behind Eric Gamalinda's jagged, ice-pick prose is an urgent need to connect and to understand. Are we more than the sum of our histories? What is this accident of being? Why is there anything at all? Written at the edge of a sinkhole and determined to resist its pull,The Descartes Highlandsis about nothing less than the whole bewildering dream that is human consciousness." (David Hollander, author ofL.I.E.)"No one writes like Eric Gamalinda, though we wish we all could.The Descartes Highlands, an amazing work