THE VILLA ONCE BELOVED with Victor Manibo and Ryan La Sala!

We're thrilled to welcome two of NYC's brilliant writers to celebrate the newest novel by Victor Manibo, THE VILLA ONCE BELOVED! Join The Twisted Spine as we celebrate Victor Manibo 's newest novel, THE VILLA ONCE BELOVED ! Victor will be joined in conversation with Ryan La Sala ( DEAD SUMMER, THE HONEYS ). About THE VILLA ONCE BELOVED : A dark history is unearthed amid crumbling façades in Lambda Literary fellow Victor Manibo’s new gothic tale of family, homecoming, and postcolonial vengeance . . . SOME LEGACIES ARE BEST LEFT BURIED . . . Villa Sepulveda is a storied relic of the Philippines’ past: a Spanish colonial manor, its moldering stonework filled with centuries-old heirlooms, nestled in a remote coconut plantation. When their patriarch dies mysteriously, his far-flung family returns to their ancestral home. Filipino-American student Adrian Sepulveda invites his college girlfriend, Sophie, a transracial adoptee who knows little about her own Filipino heritage, to the funeral of a man who was entwined with the history of the country itself. Sophie soon learns that there is more to the Sepulvedas than a grand tradition of political and entrepreneurial success. Adrian’s relatives clash viciously amid grief, confusion, and questions about the family curse that their matriarch refuses to answer. When a landslide traps them all in the villa, secrets begin to emerge, revealing sins both intimately personal and unthinkably public. Sifting through fact, folklore, and fiction, Sophie finds herself at the center of a reckoning. Did a mythical demon really kill Adrian’s grandfather? How complicit are the Sepulvedas in the country’s oppressive history? As a series of ill omens befall the villa, Sophie must decide whom to trust—and whom to flee—before the family’s true legacy comes to take its revenge . . . Event guidelines: Each ticket includes either a copy of THE VILLA ONCE BELOVED or a $15 Twisted Spine gift card. Additional copies of books will be available for purchase at the event. A signing will follow the event. If you have any questions about the guidelines or to request accessibility accommodations, please contact info@twistedspinebooks.com.

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