Mia Alvar

“As the typhoon of history made landfall on their doorstep, she could train her eyes on this sane man, and follow him.”

“Fiction didn't have a prayer over facts like that.”

There is a new literary voice in town. Fans of Ms. Lahiri rejoice. In these nine remarkable stories, the “Country” in the title is the Philippines and we get the Filipino experience, from many different perspectives and locales, including Manilla, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and America. I did not know there was such show more a large Filipino presence in the middle-east, but I do now.
These are cultural stories, about home, displacement, social class and matters of the heart, told in tight, insightful, prose. There is also a touch of dark and edgy, which I always admire.

Alvar was born in the Philippines and raised in Bahrain and the United States. This is her debut collection and what a stunning entrance. show less

Like most short story collections, this veered between 3s and 5s. Alvar is subtle and yet also writes wrenching, thoughtful characters (mostly women) who are negotiating the Filipino diaspora in a human way. (Which is a fancy-pants way of saying that not every decision they make is perfect and not every impulse they have is saintly). The Marcos presidency/dictatorship is dealt with directly but almost personally? It reminds me a bit of Allende. You don't see the violence, but the impact of show more it saturates the book, as well as the relationship between the Philippines and the Middle East. Some of it dragged a tiny bit, but this is such a wonderful debut collection and some of these stories are just. so. good that I can't rate it any lower than a 4. show less

A harrowing collection that brings us characters from throughout the Filipino diaspora, from Manila to Bahrain to New York, and beyond. There is even a story from an American making her way as a model in Asia. Alvar is a Filipina American (born in the US, I believe) who has lived her adult life mostly in New York and LA, but grew up in the Philippines and the UAE. She has a sharp eye and a quick wit, and the well-written stories range from good to spectacular. The final epynomous story is show more exceptional. Copying in my reading progress notes on each story.

April 18, 2026 – page 28
"The Kontrabida - Filipino stories are thin on the ground. But also apart from the fresh voice, this first story is exceptional. A man returns to his home in Manila to support his mother in the final days of his cruel and destructive father's life. He learns a lot about himself in this time, but more surprising is what he learns about his mother.

Another book that has been unfairly languishing on my physical shelf."

April 20, 2026 – page 63
"The Miracle Worker - a layered story of women in an oil community in the UAE, guest workers, both the laborer and the educated class, and a woman with the money to ensure that the people around her preserved her illusions. Each of these women had given up home and family for the lives they had, and none really had what they wanted or had the wherewithal to risk what they did have for more."

April 24, 2026 – page 91
"Legends of the White Lady- It is hard to be a woman, and lonely, perhaps particularly for a woman who has ot trade on her beauty, but hard and lonely no matter what. The universality of this story, which focuses on women who could not be less generic, is quite a feat."

April 25, 2026 – page 121
Shadow Families is the second story about Filipinas living with engineer husbands in Bahrain, educated women, mostly raising children who are nothing like them and building community. When a temptress shows up and rocks lives the quiet is interrupted. When the community finally dissolves, the women find themselves as outsiders, more like that outsider temptress than they could have imagined."

April 27, 2026 – page 155
"The Virgin of Monte Ramon is the least engrossing of the stories so far for me. So many avenues for cruelty and for lies, to oneself and others. Folklore feels better than truth. And there is so much guilt to go around."

April 29, 2026 – page 230
"Esmerelda - The 9/11 story. It has lovely elements, but it doesn't seem to know what it wants to say. 9/11 is shrunken down into a vehicle for self-flagellation and self-abnegation. It all feels too cynical.

The Old Girl - Like the main character in Esmarelda, The Old Girl (that is what she calls herself) seems to have no form. She exists only in relation to her husband and children. I began to find this tedious,"

April 30, 2026 – page 262
"A Contract Overseas might be my favorite story here, and I am guessing the most autobiographical. I felt as if I was walking alongside the narrator. She drew a brilliant story of a life, and the lives surrounding hers, in Saudi Arabia and in the Philippines, and a chaotic and difficult moment. Moving and edifying and beautifully written,"

In the Country tells the story of a woman who fights back, first by unionizing nurses, and then alongside her dissident reporter husband, battling a despotic regime. Everyone has their limits. This story touched me deeply. I understood Milagros, and I hoped with all I had that others would too and would not break her. Hope springs eternal. show less

Short story about a Filipino who returns to his home country as his father is dying. The language is richly descriptive and evocative. It beautifully paints the picture of the young man returning to his childhood home beset by memories and recollections. The relationship he has with his parents is authentically portrayed. Without giving away any of the plot; it is a story that will ring with the truth of anyone who has ever left home & moved to another country. It is filled with the small show more recriminations of being the one who left. The plot twists toward an unexpected ending. I would definitely seek out other works by this author and could imagine this short story filled out to become a novel. show less