Filipina’s fantasy novel was nearly ‘whitewashed’

LOS ANGELES — Rin Chupeco wrote her first book in 2010. Then she shelved it for nearly a decade before it got published.

The book, “Wicked As You Wish,” is a young adult fantasy novel that hit bookstores on Tuesday, but not before it survived major challenges.

One of them was temporarily changing her Filipina teen protagonist into someone white at the request of agents who expressed interest in her story but were concerned that readers wouldn’t be able to connect with the main character.

As soon as her revised version began receiving interest from agents, she realized it wasn’t how she wanted her book to be published at all.

“It took a lot of will power not to say yes to those agents, but I went with my gut and shelved the book,” she said. “I know now that I made the right choice, but at that time I felt immensely depressed, wondering if I wasn’t good enough.”

Fast forward to 2020. The final version of Chupeco’s first book features her original Filipina teen protagonist, Tala, who journeys with a group of friends to an abandoned magical kingdom that was encased in ice after a war. The conflict left the kingdom’s former citizens as refugees in a world largely without magic. These refugees include the crown prince, who becomes Tala’s friend.

Chupeco said she felt relieved to find a publisher who accepted her main character as she was.

Born and raised in Manila – where she lives – Chupeco said she tries to incorporate more recognizable Filipino aspects into her books whenever she can. Before “Wicked As You Wish,” however, her books had contained more subtle Filipino references and influences.

She noted that “The Bone Witch” series was inspired by Filipino witch doctors and that she specifically drew inspiration for the titular witch’s abilities from the mangkukulam, sorcerers who practice black magic. She also named a character Likh, shortened from Likha.

Chupeco has had other books published before, including “The Bear Witch.” Her new novel is peppered with Tagalog phrases and references to things like sinigang, as well as agimat, the core of Tala’s magic. But she also drew from the Filipino experience for broader themes such as racism, homophobia and immigration policies. Chupeco said her motivation for writing about those things was to weave in topics that also affected Filipinos.

“Wicked As You Wish” author Rin Chupeco. EUGENE SIYTIU

When she first wrote the book in 2010, immigration was emerging as issue in the US, particularly with Filipinos overstaying their visas and having to live as undocumented immigrants. When she was revising her manuscript in 2016, immigration was a key issue during the U.S. election. So, she figured it would be a good opportunity to talk about immigration since the characters in her book are refugees trying to avoid being discovered by American authorities, she said.

Racism was another topic Chupeco wanted to address through her book because of perceptions that Filipinos are mostly domestic workers or mail-order brides, she said.

“I wanted to deconstruct stereotypes like the May-December, older foreigner/Filipina relationships, as seen with Tala’s parents. I wanted to take Filipino issues, put them on a global stage, and then point out how we aren’t so different from everyone else,” she said.

Chupeco said she also included Filipino lore like Maria Makiling to put it on equal footing with fairy tales like Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty.

“I think they’re just as good and just as compelling to read about, and should be treated equally with the other tales,” she said. “The west’s unfamiliarity with our legends doesn’t mean it’s not as good a story to tell.”

Chupeco said that through her book, she wants more Filipinos to see themselves as the main characters of a story – not just the sidekicks or supporting cast.

“And I wanted to showcase that by putting my Filipina, Tala, in a large ensemble cast of people from different kingdoms and countries and still hold her own as its star,” she said.

“Wicked As You Wish” is the first book in a trilogy called “A Hundred Names for Magic,” a reference to the 100 names for magic in Filipino.