A child commits an unspeakable act against another child. A woman avails herself of the services of a love hospital to dispel her husband’s mistress. A former entertainer holds the fort of an aging village against encroaching wild animals and dementia. A controversial politician calls a press conference to explain his crimes and misdemeanors. A family living in an old house is plagued by poltergeists.

These are some of the demigods and monsters who range across the troubled landscapes of the Philippines, Japan, China, Singapore, and the United States, and haunt this new collection of short fiction by the author of Recuerdos de Patay and Other Stories.