Ilustrado: A Novel

WINNER OF THE 2008 MAN ASIAN LITERARY PRIZE
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR

It begins with a body. On a clear day in winter, the battered corpse of Crispin Salvador is pulled from the Hudson River. Gone, too, is the only manuscript of his final book, a work meant to rescue him from obscurity by exposing the crimes of the Filipino ruling families. Miguel, his student and only remaining friend, sets out for Manila to investigate.

The result is a rich and dramatic family sa...