Book Review (Smaller and Smaller Circles)

Smaller and Smaller Circles is a mystery and crime fiction novel written by one of the
best journalist and crime novel writer, Maria Felisa H. Batacan or also known as F.H. Batacan.
The novel won national and local awards that made it known by the people. The novel will make
the reader to think deeper and release their hidden detective skills, it will make them to guess
who will be the killer or what will happen next. Smaller and Smaller Circles happened at the
dump site of the Philippines or known as Payatas. It is one of the poorest place in Manila where
most of the people are depending on the mountain waste to lived. Crimes were not common in
the place, that is why when the mutilated and awful bodies of preteen boys started to appear in
Payatas dump site of a rainy summer of the year 1997, no one bothered to initiate investigation.
Not until the two Jesuit priests heard the news, they are Father Gus Saenz and his partner, Father
Jerome Lucero. They help to investigate the case and look for the possible occurence of the
killer, that killed his victims in the most horrible way.

Honestly, I am not fond of reading stories wherein the language used is pure English, but
after I`ve read the story ‘Smaller and Smaller Circles’ it enlighten me that not all English stories
can make you sleep, instead the novel made me to read it until the end. I`ve read many books
made by local author and this story made me think that it was made by foreign writer, and that
made me love the book knowing that the writer is a pure Filipino. I can`t believe that a Filipino
writer can make a very wonderful and amazing story, except for the works of our national hero
Dr. Jose Rizal, we all know that he is undeniably amazing. I really like the novel, Smaller and
Smaller Circles not just because the story are suspense and mystery, but also it well portrayed
and shown the unfair treatment to the poor, the unfair justice system and corruption in our
country, and especially the hardship that a people need to experience just to live. The novel
really change my views about the happenings in our country, especially the quotation that F.H.
Batacan said in his novel that ‘We are powerless when we wait for other people to act on our
behalf.’ and I agree to that, we need to act to get the justice that we want and don`t wait others to
do it. Other books are great but this novel is greater, it showed how amazing a local writer is.
And the best part in the novel that I really like, is when Attorney Benjamin Arcinas realized his
mistake, that his job is not always to be on top and on fame but to investigate and reveal the
truth. He is also the character that I like the most, because when he realized that he`s wrong, he
did not hesitate to change and apologized to Director Lastimosa, Father Gus and to Father
Jerome. And that made me want his character, that it is not too late to change and to correct your
mistake, I realized that he is actually kind but his position and Director Mapa made him evil.

Smaller and Smaller Circles depicts the awful happenings in justice system of the
Philippine society, and the life of a people living in Payatas. The scenarios in the novel where
Father Emil and some children discovered the brutally murdered body of a boy in the dump site,
showed how pitiful a poor people because they can`t asked for help to the Police, because they
think that they would not help them. The novel perfectly showed the image of every Filipinos,
the author also used direct words and used of emotions that really help the character to express
their feelings, that greatly help the reader to perceived the hidden message of the novel. Every
characters showed the picture of the Philippines, Alex portrayed the Filipinos who robbed their
innocence and get revenged after. Father Saenz and Father Lucero unveiled the truth and open
the eyes of the justice system of the society. Lastly, my most favorite character Atty. Arcinas,
who is the perfect portrayer of the Philippine justice system and corruption, that with his position
he can do what he wants even to point the crime to someone who is innocence. Overall, the novel
Smaller and Smaller Circles is an eye opener to every one of us, that don`t trust anyone because
even the church can make us face and experience the dark side of humanity.

The author will really let you feel the out of this world form of killing and the emotions
of every characters. Thus, my rating about the novel is 10 out of 10, and I highly recommend it
for those reader that want a suspense, mystery-thriller and crime novel. The description of the
story is very clear and vivid. But I will not recommend this to people who are not interested in
dark themes and horrible story.