The Disinherited
Author: Hang Ong
Editor: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Year: 2004
For the setting of his second novel, MacArthur "genius" award winner Han Ong returns to the Philippines, where he was born and raised until coming to the United States. Roger Caracera, the alienated son of a wealthy sugar mogul, has been living in New York City, teaching part-time at Columbia University and struggling with his failure as a writer. (New York is the setting of Ong's first novel, the much-acclaimed "Fixer Chao" of 2001.)
Nonetheless, "The Disinherited" is Ong's "big" book, spanning generations and classes, moving through a panorama of exotic locales. Its omniscient narrator leaps from person to person, revealing the thoughts of men, women, beggar, patriarch, child, socialite, servant, pedophile, sort-of- straight guy.
The premise of Ong's family saga is one you've seen dozens of times. When the head of the clan dies, the black sheep returns to uncover family secrets and learn to appreciate his heritage. The Caracera family, oozing wealth, designer outfits and sexual charisma, is glitzy enough for an '80s miniseries. A mere 90-minute movie could not contain the vastness, the labyrinthine plots and interconnections. Think "Lace" or "Scruples," but set in the Philippines.
Rate: 7/10
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