Dogeaters

Rio Gonzaga, reflecting on her childhood from her current life in the US, recalls watching All that Heaven Allows in 1956 with her cousin Pucha in an “English only” cinema. Rio, feeling more mature, is annoyed by Pucha’s vanity and critical nature while Pucha confidently draws the attention of boys, including Boomboom Alacran.

Rio then reminisces about the time before her parents, Delores and Freddie, separated. Freddie announces his move to Spain and his struggle with a terminal illness. Pucha, in her letter to Rio, discusses her own impending divorce, a taboo topic in Filipino culture, and advises Rio to visit her ailing father.

Rio characterizes her father and his brothers as opportunistic and noncommittal, prioritizing survival and success over family and their Filipino heritage.

Her grandmother, Lola Narcisa Divino, stays with them while her grandfather, Whitman Logan, battles a unique Filipino disease in the hospital. Rio and her Lola share a special connection, bonding over the tragic radio serial Love Letters and traditional food, activities they keep secret from Rio’s mother. Rio’s father disdains the radio show’s audience, dismissing them as low class.

Rio thinks of her grandfather Whitman, as she’s curled up on her Lola’s bed.