Name: Never Have I Ever
ISBN: 9781618731838

Isabel Yap

“Am I dead?” Mebuyen sighs. She was hoping the girl would not ask. Spells and stories, urban legends and immigrant tales: the magic in Isabel Yap’s debut collection jumps right off the page, from the joy in her new novella, “A Spell for Foolish Hearts” to the terrifying tension of the urban legend “Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez.”

Never Have I Ever

Gelaine Trinidad

i finished this one quickly, but had to sit down and actually stew in my thoughts about it because i was so enamored by the stories present that i couldn’t immediately articulate what i loved about this collection so much. yap’s writing voice is a consistent delight, as she is able to deliver different shades of personality and emotions in all the stories included within the book. she has this exacting ability to capture the atmosphere of the stories so well that makes you feel properly pulled in and waiting at the edge of your seat as her writing takes you to new places. yet at the same time, her stories pull from all things familiar that further adds to the curiosity of investigating these things in new light.

the innovative and speculative charm of yap’s stories were amazing, but i also loved how most of them were an intimate nod to philippine culture and society, both in its myth and more pressing social issues such as duterte’s war on drugs. there were also stories that felt like inside jokes told between old friends, like the stories revolving around friendships in private all-girls catholic schools, which felt like revisiting my own complicated memories about spending my formative years in that kind of environment. all of these themes and ideas were tackled with meticulous, yet evocative grace that compliments the writing genre, showing yap’s masterful approach in striking that good balance of feeling satisfied by a short story, but not feeling opposed to a lengthier, more elaborate version of it.

on a personal level, i really quite enjoyed all the stories included that i can’t name favorites. i also loved that all of the stories were tied by different identities of wanting: romantic desire, satiating a pressing curiosity, an acknowledgement of sins, seeking change to a life you feel predisposition to fulfill, mending misunderstandings, and more. this made for a cohesive collection, but also a more humane probing using the speculative approach.

all in all, i am so, so terribly impressed by this short story collection and i cannot recommend it enough. isabel yap will remain on my radar of writers to watch out for, and i do hope you consider this for a read!

gabi

i finished this one quickly, but had to sit down and actually stew in my thoughts about it because i was so enamored by the stories present that i couldn’t immediately articulate what i loved about this collection so much. yap’s writing voice is a consistent delight, as she is able to deliver different shades of personality and emotions in all the stories included within the book. she has this exacting ability to capture the atmosphere of the stories so well that makes you feel properly pulled in and waiting at the edge of your seat as her writing takes you to new places. yet at the same time, her stories pull from all things familiar that further adds to the curiosity of investigating these things in new light.

the innovative and speculative charm of yap’s stories were amazing, but i also loved how most of them were an intimate nod to philippine culture and society, both in its myth and more pressing social issues such as duterte’s war on drugs. there were also stories that felt like inside jokes told between old friends, like the stories revolving around friendships in private all-girls catholic schools, which felt like revisiting my own complicated memories about spending my formative years in that kind of environment. all of these themes and ideas were tackled with meticulous, yet evocative grace that compliments the writing genre, showing yap’s masterful approach in striking that good balance of feeling satisfied by a short story, but not feeling opposed to a lengthier, more elaborate version of it.

on a personal level, i really quite enjoyed all the stories included that i can’t name favorites. i also loved that all of the stories were tied by different identities of wanting: romantic desire, satiating a pressing curiosity, an acknowledgement of sins, seeking change to a life you feel predisposition to fulfill, mending misunderstandings, and more. this made for a cohesive collection, but also a more humane probing using the speculative approach.

all in all, i am so, so terribly impressed by this short story collection and i cannot recommend it enough. isabel yap will remain on my radar of writers to watch out for, and i do hope you consider this for a read!