A few years ago, I bought The Woman Who Had Two Navels and Tales of the Tropical Gothic by Nick Joaquin. I was first exposed to his work through the short story The Summer Solstice which we read for a Philippine literature class and enjoyed it immensely. So of course, when I learned that there was going to be a Penguin Classics edition of his short stories, I needed to have it. I finished a few short stories, skipped The Woman Who Had Two Navels because it was a novel and I decided to buy the novel, and also skipped the play. I still haven't completely finished the collection although I'll try to do that this year. Nevertheless, I thought Nick Joaquin's reputation as a giant of Philippine literature was well deserved. His prose was incredible and the blend of folk tradition and religion in his works bringing a palpable tension in his stories especially regarding what they can say about the Filipino psyche.

While I read Cave and Shadows, I thought it was a very Nick Joaquin work. The description of it being a metaphysical novel was apt because of how it dealt with so many themes. Something that stuck out was that the novel was set in the weeks prior to Martial Law. While this event is never touched upon in the novel, knowing that this event happens brings another dimension- in the novel, Manila is a volcano waiting to erupt. Activists, politicians, neo-pagan cults all play a significant role. It felt like a metaphorical storm waiting to happen in conjunction with the actual storm that happens in the climax of the book.

Cave and Shadows is a mystery novel but not quite a crime novel. There is a central mystery although it's unclear if there is a crime. In the process of unraveling this mystery, the protagonist is drawn to Manila, the capital city, the author's most beloved city. There are times when I wonder if the true protagonist of Nick Joaquin's stories is this city. In this city are activists, politicans, and neo-pagan cults. In the background, the religious establishment. How they all connect to the death of Jack's ex-wife's daughter is the mystery here and in between, the author fuses fact and fiction to create the history of the cave at the center of the mystery.

For me, what truly made this book aside from Nick Joaquin's writing, is the exploration of pre-colonial tradition, folk culture, and Christianity. Today, we recognize that in the process of Catholicism being brought to colonized countries, some folk traditions have survived and has been incorporated in the way we practice. In the novel, there is a dichotomy. What is a Filipino? Do you have to be pagan to be a Filipino?  This is something which I thought is kind of a common theme in his work, the exploration of the Filipino identity. Interspersed are bits of fictionalized history which I thought were really well done.

The main character is also well-written. After 20 years away from Manila, he finds much has changed. He finds that his friends have found high places in politics, have gotten involved in some unsavory and shady dealings, had changed their beliefs, made alliances with unlikely persons, and other things. We see the events through eyes both familiar and unfamiliar with the city.

Overall, I found Cave and Shadows a great read. I loved it and I've really become a fan of the author's writing. I will definitely be picking up The Woman Who Had Two Navels soon and maybe finally finish that collection too.