Jay Reguero is about to graduate and start a new chapter in his life. Right now, his main plans are gaming, hanging out with his friends, and relaxing with his family before he leaves for university. Everything seems in order; nothing much is happening in his life right now.

But when Jay’s family gets a call from their relatives in the Philippines, the news they deliver is grim: Jun, Jay’s cousin and former close friend, was murdered because of a drug war raging in his country. When they were younger, Jay and Jun used to send each other letters, but after Jay stopped responding to Jun’s letters, they lost contact and had not spoken to each other since. No one in his family is willing to talk about what happened, and with no answers available to him, Jay decides to travel to the Philippines to discover the truth behind his former best friend’s death.

As he meets relatives and members of his family that he hasn’t seen for years, he begins to grow closer to them - but as with his family back home, none of them are willing to talk about or even mention Jun’s name. In the face of his relatives’ enduring silence, Jay has to figure out the truth and avenge Jun’s death, all while figuring out what heritage and family means to him. 

The characters here felt realistic and they were pretty well-written. Jay was a relatable character and the author did a good job of highlighting his various strengths and flaws. His guilt is well-portrayed but I feel like they could’ve further explored the guilt he felt from ignoring Jun’s letters. Also, some of his interactions with his parents felt a bit forced or unrealistic at times, especially near the beginning of the book. The various interactions between the supporting characters were also slightly forced at times, but most interactions were meaningful and contributed to the story. 

The inclusion of Jun’s letters as further background as to their relationship before they lost contact was an excellent and thoughtful choice here, and provided insight into who Jun was as a person. I thought the incorporation of various Tagalog words was well-done - it managed to not feel forced while adding some context and atmosphere to the story. Their addition made me feel more like I was actually there watching the events in the story unfold, rather than just reading about it. This book had a lot of hidden details inside it that made it a much more interesting and memorable story, and I think the author did a great job with writing the atmosphere in general. 

I started this book not knowing anything about President Duterte’s war on drugs. I had some background about him as a leader prior to reading the book, but anything I knew about him was fairly limited and this book opened my eyes to conditions in the Philippines. It sheds light on a situation that is infrequently talked about or covered by the media (at least to my knowledge), and does a good job of raising awareness about the situation. I’d recommend reading about the drug war in the Philippines before reading Patron Saints of Nothing, though, for the extra context. 

I would give this book an 8/10 for a good atmosphere and being a very informative read about the drug war in the Philippines. A few aspects (character writing and interaction) could’ve been better, but overall this was a good read and I felt like I learned more about Filipino life and the various issues they face in their daily lives.