Back

reviewed The hand of the enemy by Kerima Polotan (Philippine writers series)

Kerima Polotan: The hand of the enemy (Paperback, 1998, University of the Philippines Press)

For Kerima Polotan's indelible protagonist Emma, love is the sole reason for being. It's what …

The Hand of the Enemy

I have a weakness for mid-century melodrama. The Hand of the Enemy isn't noir, but it has strong James M. Cain vibes. Kerima Polotan dramatizes and spatializes gender roles across the urban/provincial divide in a modernizing, newly postcolonial Philippines. This book was originally published in 1961. Can't believe I only read it now!