It’s a go!
It seems like I’m going to be a real novelist soon.
I finally got word from the Academic Publications Office, informing me the result of the evaluation. Below are the recommendations from the two evaluators:
[Recommended for Publication without Revision] 1st Referee
I recommend for publication without revisions the novel “In My Mother’s House.” It is a fine story of a sensitive woman trying to find the meaning of her life complicated by personal and familial conflicts. The story is exceptionally written, showing the author’s control of material and narration. I think it will find many readers in our novel-starved literature.
[Recommended for Publication with the following Revision] 2nd Referee
I strongly recommend the novel for publication – with or without revisions. It is very well-written with a highly engrossing plot, powerful/relevant theme, memorable characters, and deft handling of time/place/local color/description to push the narrative forward and backwards. I could not put the manuscript down. I feel very confident the novel will have wide appeal, including non- Filipino readers. The only part I would hope the writer revisits is the Epilogue. This part was difficult reading for me after getting through the earlier chapters with relative ease. As a reader, 10 pages of internal monologue were a bit much, although they help inform about Nina’s state of mind, continue to unveil motives, and tie up loose ends. After page 138, I felt the rest was a bit anticlimactic. As readers we learn the inevitable direction of Nina’s inner life, but that focus may have left some unanswered questions about other characters, Le Bi and Oscar. Perhaps this was intended. And maybe as a reader I just wanted to see a bit more (in the Epilogue) of what the author does so well, skillful dialogue to shape character and the narrative.
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[...] – the results of the APO evaluation [...]