Patron Saints of Nothing

When Senior Jay Rueguero hears that his Filipino cousin Jun has died after being shot by the police, he is in a state of disbelief. He was close to his cousin, seeing him whenever his parents flew to the Phillipines to visit and exchanging letters while separated. Wracked with confusion, doubt, and grief, Jay persuades his parents to let

him to journey back to the Phillipines on his own to see his uncles and aunts, promising not to bring up the painful subject of his cousin as they ask, but when Jay arrives after re-reading all of Jun's letters on the plane, he is convinced that there is some sort of cover-up, and he's determined to discover the truth. Part mystery, part expose into Filipino President Duterte's human rights violations, author Randy Ribay adeptly portrays the profound sense of grief and loss a family experiences when one of its young members loses his life in a senseless tragedy.