"Liryo" (Book Review)

 

"Liryo"

a book review by curioshittii

    Liryo, a graphic novel written and illustrated by Magtira Paolo, is set in the midst of Duterte’s drug war. Following the story of Marcy and her husband, Celso, both are “promdis,” or from the province, whom sought to chase what Americans would call, “The Dream,” but was unexpectedly met with unfortunate circumstances— their impoverished status did not at all change, in fact, it seems to have worsened. Marcy, working long hours a day at a factory, earns meager amounts of money, and her husband Celso, has turned to drugs in order to earn ample amounts of cash to sustain their lives. 

    In fear for Celso’s lives, Marcy immediately berated Celso’s deeds, claiming that he no longer had any remaining principles and that he might end up like the people being reported dead due to the gruesome drug war. In response to her, Celso pointed out the fact that Marcy herself used drugs in order to stay longer hours and be able to work more. It stirred a fight, but it was resolved nonetheless, with the two of them promising that they will continue to chase after their dreams of succeeding in life, and of course, with sex.

    A day after their quarrel, on Marcy’s way back home from the market, she was appalled to see police officers near their home. In fear that her husband has been killed just like the others, she quickly rushed back home, and was met with a fully alive husband, reassuring her that they only came in order to tell him to stop dealing with drugs and undergoing rehabilitation.

    This victory, however, is not celebrated for eternity. A few days later, after celebrating her best friend’s birthday, on her way back home, a crowd was gathered at their neighborhood, and Celso’s body was splattered all over the concrete floor.

    The arrival of this novel at my doorstep could not have been more perfect. With once again another case of extrajudicial killings reported around last Sunday, this novel outright emphasizes how unsafe and how normalized murder is right now on today’s political climate. The story is easily comparable with that of Randy Ribay’s Patron Saints of Nothing, the only difference would be the way it was told. Ribay’s novel is set in the eyes of a Fil-Am whose cousin was killed in the crossfire, and Magtira Paolo’s story looks into the eyes of the victim itself. It exemplifies how much suffering, injustice, and marginalization this entire administration has insinuated— it has saddened and angered the hearts of many, but most importantly, it has taken the lives of many victims of poverty. It has, instead of addressing the root problem of criminality and drug abuse, worsened the current justice system of the Philippines.

    For me, what stood out the most in Magtira Paolo’s, “Liryo,” is how powerful the ending was— to quickly summarize it, he emphasized how this entire drug war has only taken the lives of the marginalized, and that it did not bring any sort of benefit to the country.

    Overall, despite its meager length for a novel, this has to be one of the most powerful pieces about the drug war that I have read. It was short, but Magtira Paolo’s narration of the story, as well as the amount of humanity in the novel, exemplified the power behind the story. It serves as a call to not only the government, but to the entirety of the country’s constituents— it serves as a wake-up call, telling us that this government is killing us without any hesitation, and that we must stand up against it.