jessica zafra's book club: accidents happen by f.h. batacan
yesterday, i joined jessica zafra's book club for accidents happen by f.h. batacan, a collection of crime fiction short stories set in the philippines. i have previously read smaller and smaller circles, which i absolutely loved, so when i heard that she released a collection of short stories, i immediately bought the book and ended up loving it so much. so, when i heard that one of jessica zafra's book club sessions would discuss accidents happen, i knew i wanted to go.
it was interesting hearing from everyone - learning about their favorite stories, and what they liked in particular about the story - especially since it did make me see some of the stories (particularly ones i didn't like) in a different light.
my favorite story is a toss up between gyutou and the one cry, but i ultimately went with the former with my introduction: and the reason why i like it so much is because of how intentional the Woman is with gyutou and all her other things, especially in a world of abundance, hustle and bustle, and convenience where you end up taking things for granted. it inspires me to be mindful and intentional with my things.
other notable things from the book club that were brought up/shared:
- road trip, and justice in different forms: someone shared that road trip was their favorite because it showed that though justice didn't happen in the earthly realm, it happened in the supernatural realm, and jessica zafra pointed out that it really is a way that people cope/console themselves with the lack of justice in the philippines: that maybe, these people will get their comeuppance in the afterlife.
- door 59, on the public vs private persona: i've already liked this short story, but someone brought up how they liked the juxtaposition of the neighbor's public and private persona, and how he doesn't seem like someone who would do such a thing.
- where her villains come from: jessica zafra asked f.h. batacan if there's a question she's always wanted to be asked and has never been asked. she answered that no one's ever asked her where her villains come from, and she shared that it's easy to see villains in philippine society because they don't hide. she also shared about someone who read her book in advance who commented that her villains were a bit too caricature-ish, but she realized that this person was coming from a place of privilege, and she hadn't witnessed just how much people in the philippines proudly flaunt their asshole-ish ness.
- to end the session, f.h. batacan's only discussion question: they asked someone in the crowd who'd spent a lot of time with her if she had any discussion questions regarding her book, and she said she had just one: is crime ever justified? it's a good thing to ponder on and has no correct answer. i need to think about it more, but i do think that it does depend on the severity of the crime, the kind of crime, the mitigating circumstances and factors, but that there are cases where i think it's justified.