We'll Fly Away vs. Patron Saints of Nothing

We’ll Fly Away

We found this book to be very dark, depressing and unrelatable, but also formulaic. 
In the last round we read the book Moonrise which was a more beautiful written and thought provoking
story about story of inmates on death row.  

The plot was predictable, but the characters seemed very unrealistic. 
Luke was too good to be true in being the perfect athlete, the full-time caregiver,
a good student, and an excellent friend.  Joyce could not stand the twins Jack-Jack and Petey
and found their story to be off-putting and annoying. We have a hard time believing that
no one knew about the abuse that Toby was suffering at the hands of his dad, or that Luke
wouldn’t have gone to his coach for support with anything from his home life, or to help Toby.  

Patron Saints of Nothing

We all really enjoyed The Patron Saints of Nothing.  The novel is appealing and engaging
as the mystery unfolds about what happened to his cousin, and all the systems of oppression
that the Phillipine people are facing under the Drug War.  This was something current
that none of us were aware was happening in the Phillipines that made us learn more about.   

The characters were realistic and believable. It was wonderful to experience the growth
and change in Jay as he explored and became connected to his culture and family in the
Phillipines.  The relationship between Jay and his Uncle was interesting as the Uncle was
a well developed character and you could see the tension being created around him as he
was an upstanding and affluent member of the police force, and the struggle to be an empathetic
father when your son resists the life you lead.

The novel is able to realistically capture the immigrant experience.  

 Our vote is for The Patron Saints of Nothing.