“One foot ahead of the other. One shaky step at a time… Sometimes, that was all life asked of us. A bit of motion, so we could feel that we were heading somewhere worthwhile.”

A good YA novel is a rare thing. Sometimes the characters come across as immature, and slightly annoying, to more mature readers. Sometimes the plot is great, but the language seems juvenile. But in the case of “Fudge My Life,” one can actually remove the “YA” from the description and this would still be true: it’s a wonderful book!

It’s the kind of book that makes readers glad to know that its author, Agay Llanera, has written several others that we can now obsess over collecting. “Fudge My Life” was my first by her (and her first with Adarna House), and the colorful, appetizing cover by Jouache Panaligan barely hints at how emotionally profound and important the book’s themes are.

Our protagonist, Kimberly, is a high school senior with real problems. Aside from breathlessly awaiting the results of the state university entrance test, she’s also juggling her responsibilities as the Baking Club president preparing her team for a high-stakes competition, not to mention her part time business and other academic requirements. This is a young lady with a very full plate, dependent on a determined balancing act.

Enter the love interest, and what ensues is a very age-appropriate (yet very kilig) love story that had this reader giggling like a schoolgirl as she read.

You’d think that’s the heart of the book, if you were to judge purely by the cover, but Llanera’s book has hidden depths.

Kimberly’s absentee father turns up after five years, rocking the fragile balance of their family life. The reason? Alcoholism, the open secret every Filipino family has, the temptation every Pinoy male is exposed to by culture.

Llanera’s story, then, becomes a touching story on the power of forgiveness and redemption, and gives a nuanced description of a societal problem that plagues almost every home, while offering an action plan forward for those afflicted.

Dialogues are simply written, yet touching in their honest sincerity (so much so that I found myself unexpectedly tearing up over my corned beef breakfast). And Kimberly is far from perfect, but she shows an emotional maturity that even adults can admire and learn from. She makes mistakes, but self-corrects. Neither the smartest nor the prettiest (some might even consider her overweight), this reader found herself rooting for her because Kimberly works so hard for everything she has, and rises above her own personal shortcomings. And as a teacher, I can’t thank Llanera enough for giving young readers an excellent role model in print, a counterpoint to the self-absorbed influencers found on social media who might be doing more harm than good.

And this is what makes me believe that this book should be required reading in high schools. It captures all the major transitions to the next step, college life, in a realistic manner. It truthfully deals with serious family issues, yet always with the hope that love and understanding can work wonders. It models conflict resolution for both schoolmates and family members, and drives home the life lesson that not everything works out the way we want, but that there’s always another way to accomplish one’s goals. One only need be brave enough (and work hard enough) to try.

(I found it interesting that the book was published using a sans serif font, which is normally reserved for text read on a screen. Perhaps it’s a deliberate accommodation for young readers who may be more used to scrolling through a smart phone than holding a physical book. It’s also worth noting that teachers value the “simpler” sans serif fonts for early childhood readers, as they are easier to read.)

[The reviewer received a copy of FUDGE MY LIFE for review. It retails for P339.00 on their website and on Shopee.]

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 )