CREATIVE writing professor Chuckberry Pascual launched the sequel to his detective fiction novel on Sep. 13 during the 2024 Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay.
Published by Avenida Books, “Ang Nawawalang Barangay,” is the continuation of his mystery novel, “Ang Nawawala,” which bagged the Best Book of Short Fiction in Filipino award at the National Book Awards in 2018, and the San Alberto Magno Best Book at the Dangal ng UST Awards in 2019.
Similar to the first book, this sequel follows the adventures of the main character, detective Bree, as she investigates unexpected disappearances in Malabon.
“Ang Nawawalang Barangay” focuses on a “much more important item” and solving the case of a missing person, compared with the first book that centered on Bree’s search for small, missing items.
The missing person in the sequel is an Indian named Deepak, whom Bree is determined to find.
Apart from the different plots between the two novels, Pascual highlighted the stylistic differences between the works.
“‘Yung first book ay self-collection of short stories, pero pwede rin siyang tingnan na short story cycle. So composite novel siya. Pero ito, mas traditional na novel. Mayroong beginning, middle and end,” he explained.
Pascual revealed that he had written the sequel ahead of the first book.
“‘Ang Nawawalang Barangay’ ‘yung unang nobela na sinulat ko kahit na pangalawa na siyang lumabas. Sinulat ko siya from 2018 to 2020. ‘Yung first draft natapos ng 2019, tapos ‘yung big revision ay nangyari [noong] 2020. So marami rin siyang pinagdaanan,” he added.
When asked what he hoped fans of the previous novel would look forward to in the sequel, Pascual highlighted Bree’s growth as a character, particularly her confidence and increased control in the narrative.
“Sana mas makita nila ‘yung development ni Bree as a character. Mas assertive na siya at mas nagpapakita ng agency sa kanyang buhay,” he said.
Pascual is a resident fellow at the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies and a faculty researcher under the UST Research Center for Culture, Arts and Humanities. John Kobe S. Balod
