A Watch in the Night
by Denis Murphy
Published by Giraffe Books
Copyright 2003

A fictionalized account of the martial law years in Manila from the point of view of those in the religious community, with Rome's involvement in the decisionmaking struggle of protagonists in Manila who must decide in favor of open opposition or opting for the lesser evil of silently endorsing a corrupt government to further an institution's altruistic agenda.

This book may just as well be a documentary film with the familiar cautionary endnote: "the names of the characters have been changed to protect the innocent...." Denis Murphy's scenes are richly textured in the monochromatic prism of daily life. He juxtaposes the political and religious arenas from Malacañang Palace to the Vatican; and carries his readers through the stench and rat-infested areas where the marginal poor make their shanties. Then, there is Xavier House, the Jesuit residence in Sta. Ana where companionship is neither familial and yet imposed, where discussions are blunt and sometimes brutal, where confrontations occur and decisions once arrived at can haunt with each returning day. And always the examination of conscience at the end of the day that marks the life of the religious—a reflection on one's personal motives that is startling as it is revealing.

Murphy's narrative provides a remembrance as well as a wake up call on the danger of adaptaton to and acceptance of evil. Evil in the guise of being "manageable" in that one can co-exist and detach, even isolate oneself from the fray. (rag)

OOV Bookshelf 2003

DECEMBER 2003 FEATURE Towards a Cultural Community: Identity, Education and Stewardship in Filipino American Performing Arts by Remé Grefalda, Lucy Burns, Anna Alves and Theodore Gonzalves Understanding Mindanao Conflict by Patricio P. Diaz Not Home, But Here: Writing from the Filipino Diaspora edited by Luisa Igloria The Right Place and Other Stories by Rodney Dakita Garcia Escape to Manila: From Nazi Tyranny to Japanese Terror by Frank Ephraim A Watch in the Night by Denis Murphy Lakas and the Manilatown Fish by Anthony D. Robles Gravities of Center by Barbara J. Pulmano Reyes TRI/VIA by Michelle Naka Pierce and Veronica Corpuz JULY 2003 FEATURE Ang Balabal ng Diyos / Ang Silid ng Makasalanan by Rosario de Guzman Lingat Love Gathers All by Singaporean and Filipino writers APRIL 2003 FEATURE Not My Bowl of Rice by E.R. Escobar Growing Up Filipino: Stories for Young Adults edited by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard JANUARY 2003 FEATURE The Stranded Whale by Linda Ty-Casper Monster by Joel Tan