The Last Time I Saw Mother

I enjoy the book very much. Every page is really fascinating, just like having a conversation with a close friend.

This is a story about Caridad, a middle-aged woman who lives in Sydney with her husband and daughter. Suddenly Caridad receives a letter from her mom. She’s asked to go back to her hometown in Philippines. Since her mom never writes a letter, Caridad realizes that it must be a very important thing that will be revealed by her mom.

As Caridad hears at last the unspoken stories and the never-forgotten tragedy of the war years, she learns a startling truth that will change her life forever.

This novel is a debut written by ARLENE J. CHAI, who was born and educated in Manila. It was shortlisted for NSW Premier’s Literary Awards in 1995. Now, Arlene lives in Sydney.

From this book I got several new information such as:
• How the three cultures—Spanish, Chinese, Filipino—co-exist in Philippines.
• Caridad means charity.
• The Malacanang Palace (the presidential residence). The name ‘Malacanang’ comes from the Tagalog word may lakan diyan, which means “a noble man lives there”.
• The collection of the First Lady (Imelda Marcos) --beyond belief—consist of more than 3,000 pair of shoes, 67 racks of dresses, 500 black brassieres with their tags still on, 1,000 unopened boxes of stockings, silk panties and formal gowns, 5 shelves of Gucci bags, and enough jars of Estee Lauder anti-wrinkle cream to stock a department store cosmetic counter.