Summary
The novel starts in a cloudy August night when a casket bearing the corpse of one who is identified as ''Aurora V. Cabahug'' arrives in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Jeddah. Mysteriously identified by Jeddah authorities as having died from drowning, she is one of 700 Filipino overseas workers who return as corpses to NAIA every year.''Soledad's Sister by Jose Y. Dalisay.''Characters
*Soledad V. Cabahug – Soli. She first works in Hong Kong, and comes back pregnant. The second time she borrows her sister's identity, worked in Jeddah and comes back dead. *Aurora V. Cabahug – Rory. Soli's younger sister who dreams of becoming a famous singer. She works at a KTV nightclub called the Flame Tree *SPO2 Walter G. Zamora – Walter. A Paez police officer who helps Rory claim her sister's body *Jose Maria Pulumbarit – Jomar, more notoriously known as Boy Alambre for his carnapping skills. He steals the FX used to transport Soli's body and unknowingly steals Soli's corpse along with it. *Tennyson Yip – Tenny. The Vice Mayor of Paez who frequents the Flame Tree. He is Rory's customer and helps her find means to claim her sister's body. *Mama Merry – the owner of the Flame Tree *Chester and Nancy Lau – Soli's employers in Hong Kong *Hedison Lau – the son of Soli's employers in Hong Kong and the father of Soli's only son *Nai Nai – Chester Lau's mother *Meenakshi – an Indian maid who becomes Soli's companion in Jeddah. She disappears with Soli, but her body is never found. *Loulwa – Arabian princess and Soli's employer in Jeddah *Fouad and Amina – Loulwa and Khaled's children *Prince Khaled – A structural engineer and Loulwa's husband *Yusuf – Khaled's manservant *Nathan – Soli's illegitimate son from a teenage boy *Francine – another singer in the Flame Tree *Nicomedes Panganiban – Nick. A pianist from Cafe Sonata who gives Rory informal music lessons *Mrs. Cabahug – Rory and Soli's mother. She favors Rory over her elder sister and dies in a fire along with her husband and her son Ditoy *Mr. Cabahug – Rory and Soli's father *Al Viduya – A NAIA security guard *Ditoy – Rory and Soli's brother *Noemi – A young girl involved in a case handled by Walter. She becomes Walter's lover and the cause of his separation from his wife *Bessie – Walter's wife *Paolo – Walter's son *Cosme – Jomar's dead brother who appears in Jomar's fantasy as a ghost along with their father.Social Significance
The novel is situated precisely in a time which Filipinos and those who have experienced emigration, whether personal or through the exodus of their family members, can relate to. It shows the abuses suffered by Filipino migrant workers in foreign countries, and the abuses that they are again subjected to in their home country.Footnotes
{{reflistSources
*Dalisay, Jose. ''Soledad's Sister''. Pasig: Anvil Publishing, 2008. *Lacuesta, Sarge. "Soledad's Sister, brilliant new novel by Jose Y. Dalisay". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 11 July 2008