In Manila, a mute boy named Noland makes shimmering paper
lanterns and sells them at a busy intersection near the
slums where he lives with his mother. He has the help of an
older boy named Elvis. Noland doesn't know Elvis well, only
that he sells lots of lanterns and he always has money.
Noland doesn't realize that Elvis' loud bravado covers up
the deep sadness and shame he feels for having to
prostitute himself to survive.
During a traffic jam one evening, a motorcycle rider shoots
a journalist in his car and an American tourist is caught
in the crossfire. Noland, with Elvis' help, takes the
woman, Cate Burns, to his mother's hut to care for her. He
sees her as an angel fallen from the sky. Their hut is
filled with stars and angels, a small bit of heaven within
this tract of poverty. But Noland's mother fears the woman
will only bring bad luck.
The media jump on the story of a kidnapped American and the
dead journalist, speculating about their connection and the
plot behind it: either global terrorism or a religious
cult. American consul representatives and the Philippine
police vow to work shoulder-to-shoulder to find her.
Merlinda Bobis has written a story illustrating the
number of responses and reactions a single event can
trigger. Some officials wish to find the truth; others know
the truth and don't care; and still others just don't care.
She contrasts the poor and the wealthy separated by so
little as an intersection geographically, but so much more
when it comes to influence and power. Readers might wonder
how much of Bobis' story mirrors reality as it pertains to
media and politicians and the poor and wealthy populations.
She breaks the tale down into short chapters that keep the
action jumping from viewpoint to viewpoint and image to
image. The reader has to pay attention to keep track of
who's who and who's doing what, similar to watching a movie
where the images move so quickly that you might miss
something if you blink. THE SOLEMN LANTERN MAKER is a
thought-provoking tale that will prick at the reader's mind
long after the last page is turned.
From the award-winning author of Banana Heart Summer—“[a]
wonderful debut…[that] resembles Sandra Cisneros’s The House
on Mango Street and is destined to be a hit among book club
members”*—comes a wondrous tale of hope, secrets, and family
devotion.
It’s six days until Christmas, and on the bustling streets
of Manila a mute ten-year-old boy sells his version of the
stars: exquisite lanterns handmade with colorful paper. But
everything changes for young Noland when he witnesses an
American tourist injured in a drive-by shooting of a
journalist and imagines he’s seen an angel falling from the
sky.
When Noland whisks her to the safety of the hut he shares
with his mother, the magical and the real collide:
shimmering lanterns and poverty, Christmas carols and loss,
dreams of friendship and the global war on terror. While the
story of the missing tourist grips the media, Noland and his
mother care for their wounded guest, and a dark memory
returns. But light sneaks in — and their lives are
transformed by the power of love.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy