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Alternating between the Philippines and the United States, namely New York and Los Angeles, The Gangster of Love is the story of Rocky Rivera, who plays in a dissolute rock band with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Elvis Chang; Rocky's spirited and deeply traditional mother, Milagros; her troubled and bedeviled brother, Voltaire; her wonderfully eccentric uncle, Marlon; and her best friend, the wildly unpredictable, enigmatic Keiko. These, along with other characters real and imagined, form a family story spanning generations and cultures. Together they grow to and through adulthood, acquiring spouses, lovers, companions, children, and in-laws; making a place for themselves in the world; shattering myths, icons, and expectations; struggling to find that point where alienation and assimilation, identity and dignity, coincide.

"A diffuse, sometimes frustrating, narrative of a young woman's coming of age in a strange land, with some compelling...scenes of cross-cultural misunderstanding."

Kirkus, 06/15/1996

"The book is a patchwork of memories, dreams, drug trips, and song lyrics loosely held together by Rocky's narration, occasionally interrupted by Elvis or another character....Luckily, the characters and their actions remain interesting, and there is something to be learned from the bravery, recklessness, and undercurrent warmth that radiates from nearly every page....[T]hese characters stay stubbornly in mind, and one hopes they will appear in Hagedorn's work again."

Alex Chisholm, Boston Book Review, September 1996

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