REFLECTION ON THE NOVEL

SMALLER AND SMALLER CIRCLES

BY F.H. BATACAN
This essay focuses on the heart-moving events in the novel Smaller
and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan. The events and the novel itself could be
an eye-opener to people especially to officials whose duty involves solving
crimes in the community.
I was amazed knowing that the book was the first Filipino crime novel.
As an avid fan of crime fiction I was shocked to find that very little of it exists
in the canon of Philippine literature. It is shame that there is little Filipino
crime fiction where in fact, Philippines is a rich tapestry to draw from. Yet I
also understand the difficulty, which makes this novel more commendable.
Crime in the Philippines is very complicated. Most of it goes unreported and
unsolved due to environmental and bureaucratic issues. Before, I used to
read only the cover page of the novel Smaller and Smaller Circles in
bookstores for I have no money to buy. I just bought the cheaper ones those
crime fictions written in Tagalog. During college days, I used to write Tagalog
crime stories and one of it is entitled My Husbands Death which is one of
my favorite. The plot of the story is similar to those I have read but it is more
interesting because the language used is English. I gained additional
vocabularies and new style of writing.
Upon hearing the plot of the story, I felt agitated when the mutilated
corpses of young boys start turning up on the infamous Payatas dumpsite. As
Batacan writes in this novel there is not much public faith in the National
Bureau of Investigation (NBI). This is probably why her heroes are two Jesuit
Priests who are brought in to consult on the case as an outside uncorrupted
view. There are very few honest characters in this book but Batacan makes
sure that they are there to provide a balanced view: not all cops are bad, not
all church officials are corrupt. It is true in our society presently.
My great salute to Batacan because like all great crime novels she is
not only telling a story but also using the genre as an entrance point to put
Philippine society under a magnifying glass. Batacans style has the easy
flow of a great thriller. Her language is very direct and graphic. The world she
creates is shocking in its brutal descriptions of slum poverty. The horrific
crimes are made worst by the environment they took place in. While
listening to the reporter, I look up on the Internet the Payatas dumpsite. I
saw this thirteen-acre of garbage hell is the perfect representation of the
hidden vulnerable side of the Philippines. It is a credit to Batacan that she
does not shy away from the horror and is not afraid to tackle tough and
unpopular notions, in particular the belief that serial crimes dont happen.
The novel is very streamlined and fast paced and her storytelling should be
compared to best crime writers.
The novel is structured around single pages of dialogue surrounded by
a black circle. The voice is the killers. Each circle page reveals the killers
thoughts as the two priests close in: the smaller and smaller circles of the
title. It is a very effective and visually striking narrative device that allowed

me just enough contact with the killer to keep me desperate for more
information.

The killers story is just as haunting as his killings and brings the
novels narrative and themes to a complete circle. Batacan is very clear in
her denouement of the cause of the crimes committed in this book. And this
made the book interesting. Of all the novels presented, this novel is the one
that captured my interest.
Like all good crime fiction the novel succeeds on the strength of the
characters. Jesuit priests Father Gus Saenz and Father Jerome Lucero are
both instantly likeable with their world-weary outlook as they try to fight the
good fight. With one foot in the church and the other in the investigation
they are an effective link to both worlds for the reader. Their frustrations in
the fight against a bureaucracy that is more interested in protecting its own
are a reflection of the authors personal frustrations.
Youve been watching too many foreign movies, Father Saenz; there
are no serial killers in the Philippines. This is the quote from the novel
reveals his personal dream of overturning the popular national myth that
there are no serial killers in the Philippines. I believe that many would try to
support this mind-boggling myth, offering false logic that ranges from the
fact that Filipinos are more family-oriented than other cultures and therefore
dont have the alone-time necessary to commit murders to the simple fact
that none are found or prosecuted. Smaller and Smaller Circles flies in the
face of this dangerous myth, forcing the eye to the millions of marginalized
poor for whom law enforcement has no resources or incentive to protect, and
who have no one to seek justice on their behalf. Batacans novel asks for the
acknowledgment of the failures of the countrys infrastructure.
I am satisfied because the novel ends in a satisfying and exciting way
that doesnt leave the reader feeling cheated or tricked. Crime fiction for me
is all about being led into a world that we never want to experience
ourselves, and as the first Filipino crime novel she is a pioneer in revealing
the darker side of the Philippines.
My desire in writing more crime novels deepened and I believed I could
be a pioneer in enlightening the community in my humble little ways.