Spot Shelf: Five Women Take the Spotlight in Princess Erika Solitario's Lola Ora

(SPOT.ph) We are surrounded by people who can make or break us. Depending on their influence on our lives, these people can impact the way we think and how we view life in general. They can even shape our future.

Book Review of Princess Erika Solitario's Lola Ora

For Filipino author Princess Erika Solitario, there are five women who  played significant roles in shaping the person she has become. She writes about this life experience in Lola Ora, an anthology of essays in Filipino that features the women she admired, cherished, lost faith in, befriended, and defied.

In "Nang Mag-landing si Mama at Lumipad si Papa," she talks about her mother who worked overseas but opted to stay home because of her sickly daughter. The mother also assumed the "father role" in the house when it was her husband's time to fly around the country due to his work. In the book, Solitario highlights the exceptional quality of her mother, which is completing what the men in the family were not able to accomplish through simple yet thoughtful anecdotes of them repairing broken water pipes or painting the house. 

In the titular story, the author tells the endearing Lola Ora, the oldest aunt of her mother. She recalls how she was fed with fresh eggs and how she was forced to sing as a child. The story gives readers a living image of Lola Ora when she was alive: puffing Miss Philippines, a flimsy-looking black cigarette while lying sideways in a chair while her untied, long white hair kisses the floor. Lola Ora was a spinster known for being grumpy but is never stingy. The author sees her as a force to be reckoned with and someone who does not give a fuzz about unimportant things. 

In "Ka Mercy," Solitario narrates her firm admiration for one of the famous folk healers in their town. People with ailments come to her for treatment. Her method is simple: she gets the patient's pulse and sticks a piece of paper on the part of the body that needs healing. The paper has written Latin words on it. The infamous adage among Filipinos, "wala namang mawawala kung maniniwala" [nothing is lost if one believes] is well placed in the narrative. And since the author has experienced the healing power of Ka Mercy, she pondered on whether science can really explain everything.

"Mede" is a classmate that the author befriended out of a circumstance. A seatmate, Mede has hair and nails that are often yellowish because she works in the rice field to help the family. She likes to wear slippers, is good at playing Chinese garter, and often becomes the center of jokes due to her Bisaya accent. Despite all that, Solitario highlights her most endearing characteristics: resiliency and cheerfulness. She is always loaded with stories from the field, which she pours out to the author in class. This becomes the binding force of their unlikely friendship. 

The last story, "Pedal," carries a myth that was told to every child wanting to learn how to bike: losing your virginity. For Solitario, it was her aunt who first told her about it.

 "Mawawala raw kasi ang ano nila. Tanong ko, ang ano? Ang pagkababae raw, kaya kung ayaw ko raw mawala iyon sa akin ay bumaba na raw ako. Tanong ko ulit, ano po ba ‘yong pagkababae? Sagot niya, basta raw, paglaki ko, saka ko maiintindihan."

This scene from the book depicts how Filipino elders communicate with a child who asks a difficult question. Never answering directly, adults often give the excuse that the child can only understand when they are old enough. But the author’s curiosity got the better of her. She found the answer for herself.

Solitario’s Filipino essay collection, 12 pages each, is in narrative form. The story flows quietly into the readers’ imagination. It feels like having her over for a cup of coffee and without imposing, she naturally takes over the conversation. She introduces you to her lead characters and makes you feel that you have known them, too.

Lola Ora might be lean in size, but it is hefty with good stories that will consume you as soon as you read the first page. Each story is also rooted in Filipino culture and tradition that readers can easily identify with.

Also read:
Romulo P. Baquiran Jr. Gets Personal About His Japan Experience in Aishite imasu
Anecdotes on Death, Compassion + More in From the Eyes of a Healer

Lola Ora (Isang Balangay Media Production, 2018) by Princess Erika Solitario is available on Lazada for P240.