What Light It Can Hold is a gathering of Philippine short fiction published in the twenty-first century. It illuminates the contemporary scene in the Philippines, at times casting a new light on situations from past decades.

Provincial folk find their simple way of life and beliefs shaken by new technology and mores. A young man defies a death squad to chart his own unique course in life and in love. Various family members express their hidden hurts towards each other through secret attacks. Many find daily life too hard to face and retreat from it. Others surge forth with the courage of their pop culture heroes, with the support of family, community--and, on occasion, supernatural beings.

The stories show some constants, no matter how unique the situations. Ideas, whether old or new, are challenged as the distinct characters grapple with the rapidly changing world around them.

2025/386pp
bookpaper/paperback