How often do you get a happily ever after in contemporary fiction? Not just romantically, but just in the sense that things work out….that it all goes better than you could have expected? Without spoiling anything, it’s all’s well that ends well in Tif Marcelo’s Once Upon a Sunset.
Dr. Diana Gallagher-Cary has hit a rough patch: she’s put on leave from her hospital; her grandmother recently passed away and her mother moved in with her; and she’s fresh off a breakup. In her grandmother’s belongings, a letter reveals her grandfather didn’t die in New Guinea during WWII, as they’d always believed. In fact, it appears he left her grandmother behind and married another woman in the Philippines. The secret upends everything Diana believed about her tiny family. And off she goes on a mission to find out what happened. Her mother, Margaret, isn’t as keen to open this Pandora’s Box of questions.
In Once Upon a Sunset, Tif Marcelo perfectly weaves together history, the search for identity, and a dash of romance. The story is peppered with Leora and Antonio Cruz’s letters, giving voice to the experiences of Filipino-American soldiers in WWII, and the racism interracial couples experienced at the time.
Diana’s search takes her to the Philippines to meet family she never knew she had. While some welcome her with open arms, others remain cautious about her motives for turning up. But don’t worry, this doesn’t turn into Knives Out.
Tif Marcelo gifts her MCs with the best possible scenario. It’s not all smooth sailing, but it’s so refreshing that things go better than you’d expect in real life. It’s its own form of happily ever after, a thing that’s all too rare in contemporary fiction.
Once Upon a Sunset is lovely. It’s a sweet love letter to imperfect mother-daughter relationships, to Filipino culture, and to family secrets not ruining your life.
4 stars
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Check out our review of Tif Marcelo’s The Key to Happily Ever After.