BOOK REVIEW: San Rafael by Leila Rispens-Noel8 Letters Bookstore & Publishing, 2023
One sweltering afternoon, Isabel headed for the lagoon. She walked through a rocky narrow track with dense cogon and other grasses on either side. Ice-cold water cascaded down the rocky hill, its roar filling the air. The water was crystal clear-clear enough to make out the rocks and pebbles on the bottom. Towering and lush trees surrounded the waterfall, which provided a refreshing respite from the sun.
Circumstance drives our lovers apart and Ms. Leila thrills the reader with twists and turns. She constantly delays the answer to the questionJust as uncertain as the Philippines was during the Martial Law, so were the events in the lives of Isabel and Gabriel. But both of them sought refuge in cultivating their own dreams of building a safer world: Isabel moves to the city to take up Social Work and Gabriel studies Management, Economics and Consumer Studies abroad.
San Rafael gives them a glimpse of what it means to love in a time of chaos and uncertainty. They begin to root for the success of the love story. If it fails, they grieve with them as well. It took eleven years for Gabriel to find Isabel! In this story, learners are shown a time when love required forbearance. Young people forget to practice this because of their access to immediate information about their love interest.
It is inspiring how the novel reminds the reader that while everything around us is in chaos, we must draw strength from our own identity and recognize what truly fulfills our soul. This is what Isabel and Gabriel did when they both ventured their individual paths in Ghana and Amsterdam. Eventually, strengthening themselves allowed them to pave the way to create solutions for the problems in their hometowns in San Rafael and Buenavista.