Winner of the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize, the novel uses various genres in telling the stories of two lives: that of the main narrator Miguel, who is a writer, and that of his mentor, Crispin Salvador. The narrative contains plenty of social commentary about Philippine society, with particular attention to some episodes in the history of the island of Negros. The book also brings up questions regarding patriotism and civic reform. Throughout the story, the author makes use of some off-color jokes and takes a matter-of-fact approach to drug use and extramarital sex. The novel could be interesting for specialists who want to examine how the author employs a variety of literary genres and methods of narration. It could be extra difficult to read for people with little knowledge of the Philippines.