They may seem to be in search of exotic butterflies, a special ice cream, a perfect image, warmth in winter, or some such ephemera, but the characters of Catherine Torres’ sensitively wrought stories are ultimately seeking the most basic and yet also the most difficult of human longings to attain: happiness, meaning, and freedom. The stories also expose us to the Filipino in a global setting—a stimulus that inevitably engages and reveals their Filipino-ness and yet also their fundamental humanity. This is a book for our people, for our time.
—Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr.