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Benicio has not spoken with Howard—his jet-setting father—in five years, but after his mother's death he travels to Manila so the two can heal their broken relationship. When he arrives, Howard is nowhere to be found—leaving an irritated son to conclude that his father has let him down for the umpteenth time. But Howard has actually been kidnapped by a meth-addled cabdriver and his villainous rooster with grand plans to sell him to local terrorists as bait in the country's never-ending power struggle between an Islamist insurgency and "democratic" providences. Benicio's search for Howard uncovers the truth about his father's womanizing ways and suspicious business deals. Interspersed with Benicio's intense inquiry and his father's calamitous life in captivity are the high-octane interconnecting narratives of Reynato Ocampo, local celebrity-hero policeman charged with rescuing Howard; Ocampo's rag-tag team of wizardry-infused soldiers; and Monique, a novice officer at the American Embassy, whose family still feels feverishly unmoored in the Philippines. With blistering speed, wonderfully bizarre turns and glimpses into both Filipino and ex-pat culture, the novel marches toward a stunning climax, which ultimately challenges our conventional ideas of family and identity. Moondogs introduces Alexander Yates as a powerful new voice in contemporary literature. Click on the various Bookseller links HERE to buy the book. |
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Alexander Yates grew up in Haiti, Mexico and Bolivia. He graduated high school in the Philippines, where he later returned to work as a contractor in the US Embassy. He holds an MFA from Syracuse University, where he edited the literary journal Salt Hill and won Joyce Carol Oates awards in fiction and poetry. His short story "Everything, Clearly" was a finalist for the American Fiction prize. Other work has appeared in Salon, Fivechapters.com and the Kenyon Review Online. Alex currently lives in Washington DC with his wife and cats. Moondogs in stores now.
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Alexander
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