Language and Identity

In this novel featuring a cast of multilingual characters, language is intrinsically tied to identity. The immigrant community featured in this novel is brought together by their shared Filipino heritage, but this heritage is further broken down by regional dialects from the Philippines and their various degrees of fluency in English. Many of the characters speak different languages depending on where specifically they came from in the Philippines, and the language that a character speaks is presented as an important aspect of characterization in this story, as the author makes sure to inform the reader what language each character speaks early in their introduction. It is established as an important part of their identity, indicating where they are originally from and their place in the greater immigrant community.

For example, Hero and Pol speak Ilocano (the dialect of the wealthy area they are from...