MANILA, PHILIPPINES — A riveting story spanning decades, Joy: A Novel by award-winning author Angelo R. Lacuesta takes us through the journey of Lucas Letrero and the loves, lives, and losses that he has encountered throughout the years.
Lucas’ childhood consisted of super robot cartoons, fast food, afternoons accompanying his mother to her barkada get-togethers, and a father who juggled several jobs until he disappeared to make a life for himself in America with his lover Odette. Decades later, Lucas finds himself reconnecting with Dedes, a childhood sweetheart living in America, and receives an email from someone he had long written off as dead — his father.
But Joy explores so much more beyond that particular turning point in Lucas’ adult life. The novel also lets readers navigate Lucas’ ruminations surrounding childhood, loves, identity, and hopes and the roles these all play in the lives of contemporary Filipinos through short anecdotes from the past.
From memories of an outlandish Christmas show in Cubao seen through his view from his father’s shoulders to his first glimpses of Dedes during visits to his Tita Val’s house with his mother, these shorter accounts provide the glimpses readers need in order to peel back the layers of his life. Through these tidbits of recollections that make up Lucas, more nuances that paint the bigger picture of this exploration into joy are uncovered.
Joy is Lacuesta’s debut novel, following two non-fiction books, five short story anthologies, and a collection of graphic stories. Lacuesta’s writing has been lauded many times throughout his career, which includes three Philippine National Book Awards, the Madrigal Gonzalez Best First Book Award, the NVM Gonzalez Award, and several Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards. He has also been a part of many international literary festivals, residences, and fellowships.
Look out for copies of Joy: A Novel in your favorite bookstores. Lacuesta’s debut novel is also now available for pre-order at Good Intentions Publishing.
