The Power Above Us All

A novel of ordinary decent criminals and extraordinarily brutal cops weaving together and colliding inside the giant slum of ＂ Dreamland,＂ within the megalopolis of Metro Manila, Philippines. Dreamland’s entrance may smell of soap from the nearby detergent factory, but within the sprawling maze of thousands squeezed into tenements and shanties, there’s only the reek of corruption, crime, and cockroaches-- the insect and human kind. Dodong’s cushy life as a low-level criminal takes a violent turn when his girlfriend Che, a beautiful bar girl, turns up dead. The police officers have tagged Dodong as the primary suspect and he decides to scrub any evidence he and Che were ever lovers to survive. With the help of his best friend Buldan, Dodong endeavors to investigate who framed him. As they try to elude the villainous police officer Elmer, leader of Task Force Pebrero, a manhunt for the serial killer of gay men proceeds with startling incompetence. This manhunt is also connected, among other things, to part-time mortician Butsok’s increasing purchases of oil and why his sister’s a cripple.

Karl R. de Mesa is a longreads journalist and photographer who has reported on stories in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Myanmar, and Singapore. He is an award-winning author of horror fiction and reportage books-- finalists for the Philippine National Book Awards for journalism and nonfiction. His photo essays have appeared on CNN Philippines Life and Likhaan: The Journal of Contemporary Philippine Literature. Ronaldo Vivo Jr’s The Power Above Us All is the first novel he has translated. More at https: //linktr.ee/karlrdemesa Ronaldo Soledad Vivo Jr is a Filipino novelist, musician, and graphic artist. He is the author of the novels Ang Kapangyarihang Higit sa Ating Lahat (The Power Above Us All) and Ang Bangin sa Ilalim ng Ating mga Paa (The Abyss Beneath Our Feet). He has been recognized for his contributions to Philippine literature as the finalist for the Madrigal Gonzalez Best First Book Award and the National Book Awards. He is a recipient of both the Gawad Bienvenido Lumbera and the Premyong LIRA. He is the founder of Ungaz Press, a collective of writers from the town of Pateros.