The Mango Bride by Marivi Soliven (2013)

This novel follows the stories of Amparo, banished to America from her wealthy Filipino family in Manila, and Beverly, a mail-order bride and the niece of Amparo’s faithful family servant and nanny Marcela. The novel wanders through time, exploring the lives of these women and of others in their families, and the different experiences they have both in the Philippines and in America.

 A fascinating depiction of life in Manila and the experience of coming to a new world—for very different reasons. One banished, one searching for a better life. Wonderfully depicts the community (and lack thereof) that each woman finds in America. When the two women, connected in so many ways, finally come face to face over a mango display in the local grocery, it’s a wonderful moment.

Soliven’s writing is wonderfully descriptive and vivid—you can see Manila perfectly through her eyes, from the wealthy estates (with two kitchens) to the seedy neighborhoods, to its pedi-cabs and its barbecue joints. Also, the descriptions of the food is so incredibly vivid and exotic. This is a wonderful read and incredibly absorbing. Soliven won the Palanca Award for the Novel, the Pulitzer of the Philippines. She came to America as an adult, though not as a mail-order bride—she accompanied her husband who was in grad school.

“There is nothing to understand, and everything to forget. That should be the immigrant’s motto.” (Aldo, page 44)