Reviews

Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan

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edward_v's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

janica_aira's review against another edition

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4.0

I stumbled upon Smaller and Smaller Circles on twitter but it was about its movie adaptation. TBA Studios has uploaded it for free on Youtube! Being a fan of mystery/thriller stories, I decided to watch the adaptation and I ended up really liking it. It is rare to see a Filipino movie about Jesuit priests who are possibly looking for a serial killer. So I decided to search more about the movie aaand lucky me, it was actually based on a book by F.H. Batacan.

"That's the nature of any kind of rot. If you don't stop it, it keeps going. It will keep going until it destroys the very organism that feeds it."

There were many thoughts going through my mind while reading this book. The author was able to highlight the problems that the Philippines has been facing since time immemorial (kind of) - about the corruption in the Philippine government and its unreliable judiciary system.
The author actually wrote this book in 1996 because of anger about the

eliz_reads's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

meowsie_20's review against another edition

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5.0

I will definitely encourage others to read this book because, aside from connecting Filipinos more to the society as the culture, locations, and events mentioned are all within the country, it is also a doorway to realizing the Philippines' and other countries' most serious problem, corruption and official anomalies, which is still left unsolved. This book made me feel what exactly the author felt while writing it, and I hope it makes other people feel the same way. I want everyone to feel compelled to defend their country, to do what is ethically right despite opposition, and fight for the injustices that keep them poor. The story serves as a reminder of the influence that our elected representatives wielded. In this story, we'll assume that if the NBI had intervened sooner, there would be fewer victims or only one. Knowing this part would make us inspired to take the election seriously. Aside from that, it also demonstrates to the readers that there is still goodness in us, that a country, despite its flaws, still has atrocities against its citizens that deserve to be exposed. This book has changed my perspective and I would like to suggest anyone give this a shot.

kaetorns's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Easily one of the best crime thriller books I have read. This novel follows Father Jerome Lucero and Gus Saenz as they uncover an unusual serial killing case happening in the Philippines, particularly in Payatas. Given the norms and culture of Filipinos, serial killings had low probability of taking place. From this stems the continuous hindrances coming from institutionalized corrupt practices in the government, the police, and the Church. More than that, it gives necessary perspectives on power and class, highlighting unfair dynamics brought about by wealth and the authority fostered with it. Ultimately, the social injustice that became inherent in the Filipino society fosters in and between the cracks of highly maintained mask fronted by the State, leaking and flooding the lives of the poor and the marginalized.