If you’re lucky, you get treated to a tarot reading when you have your book signed by Yvette Tan, whom fans are calling “The Queen of Philippine Horror.” Tan then explained what the three cards meant, then inscribed the book with the message of the fates, accompanied by her red stamp. (In this reader’s case, the cards drawn said, “Guard your boundaries, keep your wits about you, and prepare for good things to come your way.”)

I already considered this book as a good thing that came my way, as it was her latest published by Anvil and launched in the most recent Philippine Book Festival.

This third collection of Tan’s horror stories is unique in that it has honestly creepy (yet rather cute) illustrations by Malayo Pa Ang Umaga (MPAU for short). Featuring five short stories and a novella, Insect Hag still proved to be a daytime read for me. The wise reader knows not to even attempt to read an Yvette Tan book by night, as the supernatural stories she writes about are part of our Filipino heritage, and are every bit as plausible as hearing about EJK’s and institutional corruption.

Tan’s works highlight the social horrors of the real Philippines, beyond the fancy malls, seen only to those who leave their airconditioned cars. Her characters are drawn to charms and supernatural fixes for shortcuts, in the vain hope of escaping their reality where institutions work against its people, not for them.

First of the Gang tells the tale of three boys who open baggies after making a wish each. Beware how dark magic works, Tan warns. There is always a price, and sometimes we get our wish with unexpectedly tragic outcomes. Wings is a compassionate tale of the plight of pregnant women unprepared for motherhood, with a dash of horror. Pwera Usog is about a man who never seems to succeed in anything he does, and attributes this to bati, a curse. Will asking the curse-giver to break it solve a lifetime of bad luck? Horror Vacui highlights the dilemma of an old woman whose entire family has migrated, whose loneliness becomes so overwhelming that she invites entities inside her home. Insect Hag, the story that became the book’s title, has a fascinating protagonist: an entomologist (a scientist specializing in insects) who also happens to be a mambabarang, or witch doctor.

The highlight of the book is the novella, Antingera, a most memorable journey of revenge by a woman who loses her lover to police violence: a case of mistaken identity during the height of the Drug War, that dark period of recent history full of extrajudicial killings (EJK’s). There is a fantastic twist in the end that I found absolutely fascinating, showing how it’s not just the police who were at fault, but the systems that made EJK’s possible. The real horror, then, is the arbitrariness by which names end up in lists, without due process.

(This specific MPAU illustration brought to mind the real life photo called Pieta by Raffy Lerma.)

Yvette Tan’s works are extremely grounded in reality. We’ve heard of similar things happen to relatives, to neighbors. We know these things happen. And despite growing up all my life in the Philippines, I happily learn new tidbits about my culture when I read her works, as her stories are all-inclusive, showing how all sectors of Philippine society are affected by social ills.

With Yvette Tan, you not only get frightened, but you learn things as well about the realities of being Filipino, and the societal problems that birth our horrors.

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[The reviewer purchased “Insect Hag and Other Stories” from National Bookstore for P250. It is also available on Lazada.]

ABOUT THE REVIEWER:

Gabi Francisco is a classically trained soprano who now performs in the English / Music / Drama classroom. On weekends she soaks in as much art and literature as she can, so she can pass her love for the arts on to her students. She passionately believes in the transformative role of arts education in nation-building. (IG: teacher.gabi.reads )