Letters to Montgomery Clift - Softcover

Alumit, Noel

3.91

244 ratings by Goodreads

9781555838157: Letters to Montgomery Clift

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1555838154 ISBN 13: 9781555838157

Publisher: Alyson Pubns, 2003

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This haunting and compelling novel of a Filipino boy sent to America by his parents to escape the brutal Marcos regime is a story of hope set against a backdrop of abuse and alienation. Following the Filipino tradition of writing letters to the ghosts of ancestors, Bong Bong Luwad begins to write letters to the ghost of Montgomery Clift, at first asking to be reunited with his family, but as he undergoes the pains of adolescence, sexual discovery, and mental illness, the letters form a journal of self-discovery.

No�l Alumit is also the author of two one-man shows, The Rice Room which was voted one of the best solo shows of the year by The San Francisco Bay Guardian, and 2002’s Master of the (Miss) Universe, named by the Los Angeles Times as a Theater Best Bet. He lives in Los Angeles.

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From the Publisher:

Finding a 'new' talent is the best part of an editor's job and Mr. Alumit's talents are numerous. He creates almost a new fiction genre with Letters and his creativity is matched only by his writing ability.

From the Author:

In my novel Letters to Montgomery Clift, I explored forms of Disappearing. I looked at people and things that managed to slip away: friends, family, and ideals that vanished over time. More importantly, I illustrated the desperate attempts to retrieve some of those people or things.

My young protagonist Bong Bong Luwad wanted his mother back. His mother was one of thousands of people during the Marcos regime who "disappeared." Bong Bong escaped to Los Angeles where he called upon the spirit of a dead moviestar to help him find her. In his search for his mother, he learned of the darker side of the human condition. He also learned the full meaning of the word: Hope.

Bong Bong found safety in movies, particularly those starring Montgomery “Monty” Clift. When Monty helped a young boy find his mother in the movie The Search, Bong Bong was sure the matinee idol could do the same for him.

As his dream of finding his mother dwindled, he escaped with Monty to the Nevada Desert, to Hawaii, to Germany, to a cabin by the lake. All of these places featured in movies starring the late film star. In movies, Bong Bong disappeared from a place where parents couldn’t be found. He got caught up in the worlds of the handsome actor. It became dangerous, however, when Bong Bong didn’t want to leave the black and white landscapes, choosing to stay with the 1950’s icon.

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