An Embarrassment of Riches

A scathing and funny satire of Philippine politics and cults of personality, An Embarrassment of Riches won the prestigious Centennial Literary Prize. It tells the story of the Victorianas, an island west of the Philippines, whose dictator, General Azurin, has just died. In the upcoming elections to fill the power vacuum, a motley crew of characters shows up to play the politics game, including the daughter of the island’s richest tycoon, a leader of the underground Liberation movement, a charismatic preacher, an enigmatic feng shui master, and Jeffrey Kennedy Tantivo, a self-exile just returned who, along with becoming embroiled in the political scene, also struggles to uncover his hidden past.