Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala. 7.6/10
I would not recommend this book to my friends, but I would recommend for exposure to more Filipino reads. I would not reread this book.
I love how Filipino this book is without having to try. It's so natural, believable, comforting, and educational. The mentions of food are also done so naturally. So many books have random hobbies and interests put in without having any real reason within the plot, but the food here mixed well with family, aspirations, and comforts.
There are several moments that do feel forced and unnatural, such as when teeth fell from expired biscotti or earlier conversations with Kevin being so irrelevant.
Detective Park is so weird with all these baseless accusations. It's like hard to believe he's a top-tier investigator/cop.
I would enjoy this becoming a movie, and I especially want to see what the characters would look like. I love the acknowledgments mentioning that the author says random Simpsons quotes. I love the Simpsons too.
Memorable Quotes: "He looked off into the distance, as if seeing his past relationships through a different lens." "I might not have been looking for romance, but I appreciated eye candy as much as the next person." "held the monopoly on death." "everything about the premises screamed, 'Death and Loss!' But in a very dignified way, of course." "The calm and steady good influence that the rest of us never listened to."
