The best Filipino books of 2017 [CNN Philippines]

"Dead Balagtas Tomo I: Mga Sayaw ng Dagat at Lupa” by Emiliana Kampilan (Anino Comics)

Emiliana Kampilan sets out to detail our country's history in “Dead Balagtas Tomo I: Mga Sayaw ng Dagat at Lupa” but also tells parallel stories of attraction, separation, and longing. Along with the stories of continents breaking apart and magma and oceans surging forth in the spaces they leave behind, we are told stories of childhood friends drifting apart, and young men and women falling in love while struggling with received knowledge and faith. Do you know that there's a queer Muslim character in this book? The fact that we can be excited by the appearance of a queer Muslim character is testament to our own literary shortcomings, but this is an important, beautiful step forward. May we have more stories like this.

“Dead Balagtas Tomo Una: Mga Sayaw ng Dagat at Lupa” can be found in mainstream bookstores by 2018, but can also be bought from Adarna Bookshop along Scout Torillo, Quezon City.

Read more of my 2017 picks on CNN Philippines. Thank you to the CNN Life Staff for the opportunity!