The Woman Who Had Two Navels by Nick Joaquin
Nick Joaquin’s novel follows Connie Escobar, a wealthy woman convinced she has two navels. Instead of a medical practitioner, she consults a horse doctor for her unusual condition.
Set against the backdrop of post-World War II Philippines, Nick Joaquin’s novel explores the complexities of identity, legacy, and personal autonomy through the experiences of its characters.
“The Woman Who Had Two Navels is certainly representative of Joaquin’s work, particularly from a craft point of view. Joaquin loved the expansive paragraph and utilized sentences so muscular—ripped in verbs and adjectives—that every sentence urged the reader to read them. In his descriptions of Manila and Hong Kong—whether in the present or in the past, whether physically or figuratively—Joaquin wraps his prose’s arms around the reader and does not let go. The paragraphs take themselves seriously, and that’s what the reader is forced to do as well. The detail, the observation, the structure: It’s breathtaking.” – from the Introduction by Ruel S. De Vera
Publisher:
Anvil Publishing, Inc., Philippines
Publication Date:
2024, Anvil Publishing, Inc. 1961, first published
Format:
Softcover / 8 x 5 inches / 203 pages / BW
Language:
English
ISBN: 978-971-27-3845-6