Cave and Shadows

I really really loved it. It started quite slow for me, it did not connect instantly. However, the book got into the good, juicy part. It was a really good political and religious mystery novel. You think you'll know what will happen next but everything turned out differently. Nick Joaquin is always one step ahead of you. It also has a bit of history which make it more interesting. It really got me interested in Filipino paganism (not in converting but in knowing more about it). If you're not a conservative Christian and is a Filipino at heart then you must read this. It has a bit of everything for everyone (yes, even romance, but only a hint of) and its a message-heavy book. It will really satisfy your thirst for knowledge and show more entertainment. :) show less

Wonderful concept and beginning. Joaquin made good use of the lush historical and geographical backdrop of the city of Manila for a strange crime which links the present problems to when the Spanish colonized the Philippines. Too bad Joaquin couldn't resolve it without being melodramatic. Why is the nation a large chip on Joaquin's shoulder? His exposition on Filipino identity and the nation gets in the way of a potentially thrilling crime narrative. Instead it's a lame attempt at being the Great Filipino Novel.

Set in the days prior to Martial Law, Nick Joaquin's novel starts off as a murder mystery but then his story becomes more philosophical/symbolic at the end. Avid readers of detective fiction might get disappointed since the author sidetracks in the murder and goes into a historical/mythological narrative of the country, the people and the saviors of the nation.

What makes the book interesting is Joaquin's narrative on the history and mythology of the country. It fits into the setting and the conflict of the story - whereby cults and pagan beliefs seem to provide the answer to the coutnry's growing problems.

A satisfying blend of history and detective story, Cave and Shadows investigates the death of a young woman found in a cave. There was no sign of foul play. She was found naked, and as if sleeping. There's an inner cave within cave, secret passages, neo-paganism, ritual sacrifices, cults and activists, converts and sinners. I think it has a lot to offer the readers of mystery and mysticism.

See also: http://booktrek.blogspot.com/2011/01/cave-and-shadows-nick-joaquin.html

it is full of mysterious..