Patron Saints of Nothing (Review)

I’m quickly realizing my love of YA titles that bring attention to under-discussed topics. And with a large focus on the Drug War in the Philippines, something I had previously known little to nothing about, this book certainly does that. And well.

Patron Saints of Nothing follows the journey of Jay as he goes to the Philippines after the death of his cousin Jun. Jay can’t believe that his cousin would be involved with drugs in the way that they say got him killed, and he’s determined to find answers. But it won’t be easy when most people want to pretend that Jun never even existed.

“Sometimes I feel like growing up is slowly peeling back these layers of lies.”

At the heart of this book is a story about grief but there are also other layers; discussions of how Americans often turn a blind eye to issues in other countries, how immigrating from one’s home country can affect your relationship with your family and your culture, discussions of homelessness, and poverty, and substance abuse, and racism. 

As I read, I was amazed at how well this story showcased both sides of the argument when it came to the War on Drugs. It’s clear what the author’s message about the issue is, and yet he creates characters who are convinced both ways and argue well in either direction so that the subject is never presented as black and white, or easy to solve, and you’re allowed to see the reasoning behind people who support it.

In comparison to such a great and multi-layered story, I couldn’t help but feel that the writing was a bit lackluster. Although it did fit Jay’s perspective as a teen boy, it seemed to me too obvious when it was summarizing rather than blending and flowing the way I wished it had, and there were several spelling and grammar errors that could have been easily fixed.

“I will try not to judge because I have no idea what you were struggling within your heart, what complicated your soul. None of us are just one thing, I guess.”

So much goes on in this story, and there are so many layers to the conflict, that there would have been no easy way to end it. The conclusions that we’re given are somewhat open-ended, which seemed to me to be the only reasonable option, but also ended up a bit hasty.

My least favorite part of this was the romance aspect. Although I liked the romantic interest as a character, it seemed an unnecessary part of the story and felt somewhat incomplete. I wouldn’t have minded this so much, however, if the decisions and conclusions at the end of the book weren’t admitted to being at least partly because of this romance. I can believe, due to age and what we know about the characters, that that’s plausible, but with all the other important commentary it’s definitely not the best note to leave the story on, and not the greatest message to send to young readers. 

“That’s not how stories work, is it? They are shifting things that re-form with each new telling, transform with each new teller. Less solid, and more liquid taking the shape of its container.”

I rated Patron Saints of Nothing 4 out of 5 stars. Fans of The Hate U Give might like this.