Spot Shelf: Siyokoy, Human-Turtle Baby + More Stories of the Sea in Laut
It's one of the finalists for fiction in the 41st National Book Awards.
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(SPOT.ph) With one of the longest coastlines in the world, it doesn't come as a surprise that the Philippines is abundant in coastal narratives—stories that delve into various aspects of life in coastal areas, including its unique cultures, livelihoods, challenges, and the intricate relationship between communities and the sea.
Sigrid Marianne Gayangos’ Laut: Stories navigates through the coastal regions of Zamboanga, where the local populace relies on fishing as their primary livelihood, and a distinctive fusion of indigenous traditions and Spanish heritage shapes their way of life.
Much like a multi-layered image of an ocean, her 13-story collection portrays a serene quality that immediately soothes and comforts readers, along with an unpredictable and enigmatic element that leaves them both anxious and fearful, unaware of what lies beneath its depths.
Laut marks Gayangos' debut collection of stories and has earned recognition as a finalist in the 41st National Book Awards in the short story in English category.
Laut and Speculative Fiction for Filipinos
A genre of storytelling that dives deep into imaginative and fantastical concepts, speculative fiction often incorporates a blend of science fiction, fantasy, and horror elements. It explores hypothetical scenarios, alternative realities, or futuristic settings to examine the effects of speculative ideas on individuals and societies.
Margaret Atwood, author of the futuristic dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale, once remarked, "Speculative fiction encompasses that which we could actually do. Sci-fi is that which we're probably not going to see."
Laut embraces these elements and more. Gayangos skillfully weaves a diverse tapestry of speculative fiction and poignant queer tales against the backdrop of Zamboanga, featuring its coastal areas and tourist destinations. While her stories incorporate fantasy elements, they seamlessly transition into realistic scenarios that resonate with Filipinos, both in terms of context and culture. Kristin Ong Muslim aptly describes it in the book's foreword as "speculative fiction for Filipinos living in the Philippines"—a collection of stories that Gayangos has curated adeptly.
Arguably, the most outlandish tale is "Theirs Hard-headed, Mine Hard-shelled," narrated by a swimmer who was impregnated by a humongous sea turtle that has a carapace the color of the brightest emerald. She gave birth to her human-turtle hybrid baby in less than the usual nine months.
Then there's the heart-rending story of "Ikoy," a boy who never speaks and was named after a siyokoy (merman) due to his appearance and the combination of smells resembling rotten fish, salt, and pus. He found love and care from a family he never knew. In return, Ikoy protected them from an unknown evil force of the sea that tried to harm them and wealth in the form of three heart-shaped black pearls, which the family used to start a new life.
"The Last of the Sama-sellang" also follows a sorrowful path, chronicling the final events leading to the death of a mythical creature well-cited in Bajau lore—the last of its kind. Described in the book as "a creature that looked like a human-whale chimera gone wrong," the story takes readers through the classic example of men’s greed. An encounter made possible by extracting the creature from its natural habitat causes its ultimate demise and extinction.
Other intriguing stories involve time travel to prevent the imminent death of a loved one, resulting in layers of gases surrounding the planet becoming bruised and marred every time an attempt to alter the event occurs. There's also a co-body inhabiting a human being to serve as a special envoy in the extraterrestrial world, and a dystopian community where constituents must follow the rules, and their status is dictated by their ability to contribute to society.
Sad Queer Tales and Other Sociopolitical Themes
In addition to speculative fiction, Gayangos skillfully integrates a compelling array of queer love tales that evoke feelings of nostalgia, reminiscence, and parting ways.
In both "All that Remains of Summer" and "What Lies Between Oceans," the stories portray lesbian lovers seemingly situated on opposite poles. In the first tale, one embraces a bucolic life in the province, content and at peace, while the other is impetuous, drawn to the excitement of city life. In the second narrative, a joyful and practical gardener is entwined with an ocean scientist striving to save humanity—separated by physical distance but connected through the advent of technology.
In "The Distant Shore," two women lovers spend an entire summer in a small fishing village, only to witness the demise of the place they cherished, transformed into a water park.
The book delves into profound social commentaries, primarily addressing the impact of industrialization and progress on the environment. It engages the reader's political consciousness, particularly on issues of justice, power, identity, diversity, and migration.
A critical aspect of the collection focuses on the environmental effects of mining. In "The Price of Air," breathing clean air becomes a luxury exclusive to the wealthy, contrasting with the normalcy of smog-induced sickness for those living in a mining village.
Laut: Stories (The Philippine Writers Series 2022) (University of the Philippines Press, 2022) by Sigrid Marianne Gayangos is available on Shopee and Lazada for P420.
Rita T. dela Cruz is a science writer and editor at a government research institute. She finished BS Development Communication from UPLB and MA Filipino (Malikhaing Pagsulat) from UP Diliman. Her first book, Solo Flight: Mga Kuwento (Isang Balangay Media Productions, 2021) is available on Lazada for P556.
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