La Tercera
La Tercera by Gina Apostol, published by National Geographic Books on May 2, 2023, is a novel that weaves a complex narrative of Philippine history from the 19th century to the present day through the fragmented story of the Delgado family. Spanning 480 pages, this edition presents the journey of Rosario Delgado, a Filipina novelist living in New York City, who learns of her mother’s death in the Philippines. Instead of returning home immediately, she embarks on an investigation into her family’s history and the mysterious inheritance known as La Tercera, which may or may not exist.
Readers will find a rich exploration of family legacies and the intricate tapestry of lives intertwined with the history of colonization, catastrophe, and war. As Rosario delves into her family’s past, she uncovers a multitude of stories that raise profound questions about identity and belonging. The narrative also addresses the broader context of the Philippines’ history, including themes of exploitation and the impact of American occupation. La Tercera offers a deep and personal reflection on the challenges of understanding the past and the consequences for both individuals and nations that grapple with their histories.
Official synopsis Publisher
In her first novel since Insurrecto, Gina Apostol assembles a vision of Philippine history from the 19th century to present day in the fragmented story of the Delgados, a family surviving across generations of colonization, catastrophe, and war.
Rosario Delgado, a Filipina novelist in New York City, learns of her mother’s death in the Philippines. Instead of rushing home, she puts off her return by embarking on an investigation into her family’s history and her mother’s supposed inheritance, a place called La Tercera, which may or may not exist. Rosario catalogs generations of family bequests and detritus: maps of uncertain purpose, rusted chicken coops, a secret journal, the words to songs sung at the family home during visits from Imelda Marcos.
Each life Rosario explores opens onto a multitude of other lives and raises a multitude of questions. But as the search for La Tercera becomes increasingly labyrinthine, Rosario’s mother and the entire Delgado family emerge in all their dizzying complexity: traitors and heroes, reactionaries and revolutionaries. Meanwhile, another narrative takes shape—of the country’s erased history of exploitation and slaughter at the hands of American occupying forces.
La Tercera is Gina Apostol’s most ambitious, personal, and encompassing novel—a story about the impossibility of capturing the truth of the past, and the terrible cost to a family, or a country, that fails to try.
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