Everything We Never Had

By Randy Ribay

Four generations of Filipino American men confront identity, legacy, and fractured bonds across decades.

4.1/5 Goodreads · 3,847 ratings

288 pages

$19.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

In 'Everything We Never Had,' four generations of Filipino American men navigate identity and family expectations. Francisco, in 1930s California, questions his move from the Philippines amid racial tensions. In 1965, Emil defies his father's labor legacy, determined to succeed on his own terms. By 1983, Chris seeks his roots, challenging his father's dismissive views. In 2020, Enzo faces a pandemic and family discord, hoping to mend generational rifts. As each man grapples with his path, Enzo must weave their stories into a cohesive legacy. Can he unite their fractured histories and forge a new future?

From the publisher

Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for LiteratureLonglisted for the National Book AwardWinner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Fiction Award From the author of the National Book Award finalist Patron Saints of Nothing comes an emotionally charged, moving novel about four generations of Filipino American boys grappling with identity, masculinity, and their fraught father-son relationships. Watsonville, 1930. Francisco Maghabol barely ekes out a living in the fields of California. As he spends what little money he earns at dance halls and faces increasing violence from white men in town, Francisco wonders if he should’ve never left the Philippines. Stockton, 1965. Between school days full of prejudice from white students and teachers and night shifts working at his aunt’s restaurant, Emil refuses to follow in the footsteps of his labor organizer father, Francisco. He’s going to make it in this country no matter what or who he has to leave behind. Denver, 1983. Chris is determined to prove that his overbearing father, Emil, can’t control him. However, when a missed assignment on “ancestral history” sends Chris off the football team and into the library, he discovers a desire to know more about Filipino history―even if his father dismisses his interest as unamerican and unimportant. Philadelphia, 2020. Enzo struggles to keep his anxiety in check as a global pandemic breaks out and his abrasive grandfather moves in. While tensions are high between his dad and his lolo, Enzo’s daily walks with Lolo Emil have him wondering if maybe he can help bridge their decades-long rift. Told in multiple perspectives, Everything We Never Had unfolds like a beautifully crafted nesting doll, where each Maghabol boy forges his own path amid heavy family and societal expectations, passing down his flaws, values, and virtues to the next generation, until it’s up to Enzo to see how he can braid all these strands and men together.