His Smile by Angel Bautista

How long does it take to change someone's life? Sometimes it only takes a few seconds. The length of time it takes to see a smile...

Jackie had a crazy brief affair with Gio when she was in Vietnam. Malinaw sa kanya na walang patutunguhan iyon. He was a waiter in a roadside bar. Hindi ito aaprubahan ng mommy niya na mataas ang standards sa pagpili ng lalaking pakakasalan niya. Ayon nga sa kaibigan niya, kapag umuwi siya kasama si Gio sa Pilipinas, hindi na magiging romantic comedy ang dating ng istorya nila kundi tragedy na.

Trahedya rin kayang matatawag kung sasabihin niya sa mga kaibigan niya na in love siya kay Gio? At gaano pa kalaking trahedya ang mangyayari kung pagkalipas ng tatlong taon ay muli itong bumalik sa buhay niya sa mismong araw na iaanunsiyo ang engagement niya sa ibang lalaki?

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This is gonna be long(and I wrote this first paragraph after I wrote everything else and realized that this review is, indeed, long), but I swear it’s worth it, so I hope magpagtiyagaan ninyo. Also, may ilang spoilers din(but I hope nabasa niyo na itong novel na ito bilang last year pa ito narelease), so read at your own risk.

Now, this is my kind of story. Ni hindi ko alam kung paano ko sisimulang i-review ang nobelang ito dahil sa sobrang dami kong gustong sabihin. I love it so much. Napaka-mature ng tema, ng discourse, ng characters, ng storya.

Full disclosure(at side story na rin): Si Angel Bautista ang paborito kong PHR Writer. Binili ko ang His Smile nung karerelease pa lang nito. Automatic. Angel Bautista eh. Minsan nga, kapag pumapasok ako sa Precious Pages, mga nobela ni Ms. Angel agad ang hinahanap ko. Kahit ‘yung mga dati na niyang naisulat. I just want to have it, kahit hindi ko muna basahin kaagad. What drew me into liking Ms. Angel Bautista is her BBB Trilogy. What drew me into loving her are her Gibbons Girls. Consistent siya, basta, napakamature ng craft niya. Mature, for the lack of better word. (Sorry, Ms. Angel. Hehehe). Basta ‘yan ang una kong na-feel nang basahin ko ang gawa niya. Maturity and realism. So ayun, marami pa akong Angel Bautista novels dito na hindi ko pa nababasa, and I’d possibly review them some time. Ganun ang nangyari sakin sa kaso ng His Smile, ngayon ko lang nabasa after a year of having it on my shelf. Isa pang disclosure: I was kind of afraid na basahin and eventually gawan ng review ang His Smile dahil natatakot ako na baka hindi ko magustuhan or biglang mabago ang isip ko sa pagkagusto ko kay Ms. Angel(and then post it on my blog for all to see), all because I am a big fan. But goddamnit, the woman never fails to amaze me. Bigtime. Did I say she was consistent already? Consistent in a way na pag pinabasa sayo ang isang title page-less na manuscript, you would know it’s her who wrote it. She has a very distinct voice in writing. And I guess when you’re a writer and you finally grasp your style and who and how you are as a writer, it never fades. Madam Angel Bautista, I couldn’t love you enough, saludo po ako sa inyo. The only thing I regret about His Smile is not reading it as soon as I got it.

Anyways, back to work.

One of the things na na-amaze ako ay kung papaano naisiksik ng writer ang napakaraming informative narrations and even dialogues without it being too dragging. Walang cricket moments sa nobelang ito, I swear. Even the exchange of thoughts between Jackie and her friends, super win. Sila ang comic relief sa rather “heavy” drama peg ng heroine.

The tension between Jackie and Gio, and the sexual at that, was wonderfully weaved. I get where Jackie is coming from, successful woman na under pa rin sa pakpak ng conniving niyang ina. Her affair with Gio was the perfect “result” of her exhaustion from her mother’s wicked ways of pairing her with filthy rich guys. At least iyan ang nakita kong rason para “matanggap” kong nakipag-one night stand siya kay Gio. I guess ‘yan din ang reason kung bakit siya napamahal kay Gio in that short span of time. I mean, you’re tired with your “planned-out” life(by Jackie’s mother, by the way) and then suddenly you meet someone different. Someone within your wavelength. Someone na hindi mo kailangang magpretend pag kaharap mo. When it’s like that with someone, talagang mamahalin mo eh. Yung lalo kang nagiging totoo sa sarili mo pag kasama mo ang taong ito. Now, that is a wonderful kind of love. Kung iyon man ang ginustong palutangin ng writer sa isinulat niya, then hell yes, she succeeded.

Ang favorite scene ko sa nobelang ito ay yung naglalaro ng anino si Jackie from the sunlight peeping through the curtain then suddenly her shadow play was joined by Gio, who was beside her. Super precious moment. At super precious rin ng ngiti ko. Hanggang ngayon hindi ko maalis. Sobrang natuwa ako sa scene na ito, solely because ginagawa ko rin ito tuwing umaga. Ang problema lang, wala akong someone na magdurugtong sa mga shadow figures na ginagawa ko. :p

What I also like about this ay yung maiksing flashback ni Gio. I mean it just shows me how he got into being invested in Jackie. He’s in the middle of getting to know himself after studying through backpacking; he’s trying to find his place in the world before he embarks on his master’s degree. And then bam. He meets Jackie. Two lost souls, albeit from entirely different contexts... nonetheless, two lost souls finding familiarity, refuge, tranquility, and solace in each other. Tamang-tama ‘yung linyang: How long does it take to change someone’s life? Sometimes it only takes a few seconds. The length of time it takes to see a smile.

Sa present time, kahit ilang taon na ang lumipas, hindi pa rin nawala ang lalim ng koneksyon nina Gio at Jackie. Consistent pa rin ang tension between the two, samahan pa ng bearing ng flashbacks nila, so super believable at nakakakilig talaga na after three long years, mahal pa rin nila ang isa’t-isa. And it just goes to show na ganun kabagsik ang impact sa kanila ng affair nila noon sa Hanoi.

Gusto ko rin sabihin na napakavisual ng nobelang ito. Ang galing. Para akong nasa Hanoi. Siguro dahil na-experience talaga ng writer ang buhay sa Hanoi(nabasa ko sa acknowledgement page ni Miss Writer, hehe). Wala akong incident na babalikan ko pa ‘yung binasa ko dahil napakunot ang noo ko kasi hindi ko naintindihan. Smooth reading. Although may tendency talaga akong magpatigil-tigil dahil gusto kong namnamin ‘yung binabasa ko, gusto kong magwallow sa mga scenes para mas madama ko, and most times, I even act the scenes out. Closet emotera kumbaga. Haha. Isa pang bagay na na-amaze ako ay yung paggamit ni Ms. Angel Bautista ng metaphor ng “proverbial apple” na naincorporate sa attraction ng dalawang bida. Ang galing. And then she took another bite of the proverbial apple... Tangina, chills.

Also, about the mature thing I was talking about... lalo na sa characters, I mean, normally may issue ako sa older woman-younger man relationships eh. Mas gusto kong mas matanda ang lalaki. Kahit 10 or so years pa ang age gap na ‘yan like Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev(but they broke up, so RIP, hehe), okay lang sa’kin. Personal preference lang. Pero dito, halos hindi ko napansin ‘yun eh. As long as they are adults acting like one, then I’m good to go. Isa sa pet peeves ko ‘pag nagbabasa ay yung characters na umaakto nang hindi angkop sa edad nila.

Lalo kong minahal si Gio nung humingi siya ng fair fight mula kay Tito Peter. Ganyan ang tunay na lalaki. May balls. It also shows na kahit limang taon ang tanda ni Jackie sa kanya, kayang-kaya niyang tapatan ang maturity nito. Na hindi magiging hindrance ang age gap nila because he is the very epitome of a real man. Na kayang magdecide para sa sarili, na may paninindigan, na maginoo pero medyo bastos(again, personal preference :D hehehe).  Alam mo ‘yun, he was ready to “not bother” Jackie when she told him her side of the story.  Tunay na lalaki.

Eto na. Syempre walang perpektong bagay, alam natin ‘yan(lol). What I didn’t like, even at the slightest bit, about the story is the “easy way out” for the characters noong malapit nang i-announce ang wedding date nina Peter at Jackie when they were at the ancestral house. I mean, parang bombang bigla na lang mahal pa pala ni Peter ang ex-wife niya, and the feeling was mutual for Christine. I don’t wanna brand it as deus ex machina—although I feel that it was a little bit like that—dahil pakiramdam ko naman ay medyo najustify ng writer kung bakit ganoon ang naging exit for Peter. I mean, the man is forty-one years old at divorced pa. If you meet that kind of man in real life, he probably  already met the love of his life, which is his ex-wife. He was previously committed bigtime, so posibleng itong current relationship niya ay maging daan na lang para may kasama siyang tumanda. For convenience, sabi nga ni Ms. Angel Bautista. I hope I’m still making sense.

Siguro lalong gaganda ang storya kung naging special edition ang nobelang ito at medyo humaba-haba nang kaunti tapos maiipit sa matindi-tinding pagdedesisyon si Jackie, and then malalamatan ang relasyon nina Gio at Tito Peter. Yung may collateral damage sana para mas nakaka-whoa at nakakasabog ng utak.  I mean, who doesn’t love collateral damage? Hehe. Ako lang yata ang natutuwa sa collateral damage, sadista lang siguro talaga ako. Ayun lang naman siguro, decisions reek flawed but pragmatic characters. At least for me.

As for the ending, it wasn’t overdone. Which is perfect. Nothing too grand, just the hero and heroine tracing back their old steps realizing that “yeah, this happened before and three years later, guess what, we still feel the same.” Na para bang after three years, Jackie and Gio are given the security na finally, eto na ang happy ending nila. Forever is theirs for the taking.

In conclusion, if this novel were a movie, you’d find me at the best seat at the furthest back row, bawling my eyes out due to all the feelings, and occasionally wiping my tears and sipon with my shirt(na pamunas ko rin sa daliri habang kumakain ng french fries, I’m so gross). Haha.

Sana kahit isa lang man diyan sa mga nabanggit ko sa itaas ay nilayon talagang palitawin ng writer, kasi super fan talaga ako ni Ms. Angel. And I’d be hysterical pag nalaman kong oo. :D

It’s a stunning read, everybody.

Rating: 4.75/5