In elementary, my godfather gave me a set of children's books for Christmas. The package included such classics as "Around the World in 80 Days", "Kidnapped", "Waterbabies" and my all-time favorite, "Anne of Green Gables".

Following her parents' demise when she was only a year old, the 11 year-old heroine Anne was passed around from relative to relative as a nanny and household help of sorts before being placed in an orphanage. Taking all this into consideration, you would think that she had every right in the world to be bitter and resentful but she was anything but. I admired this positive attitude and work ethic (she took full responsibility over her chores and was a brilliant, motivated student), related to being considered "odd" by many, and dreamed about being in the place that she was in, both literally and figuratively.

As a child raised in front of the actual highway, I long for the sweet little house with a garden full of trees and flowers in a small community that she was adopted into. I wish that I could be as loving and lovable as she is to the people that know her and hope that one day, I could be half as awesome as I found her to be.

Introducing this character gives me the opportunity to compare older works with female central leads to the standards of what Chicklit is today and illustrate how establishing an emotional connection is essential to the success of a book of any genre, even Whodunnit.

I will reluctantly admit that buying copy after copy of novels that fall under the Chicklit category is only one in a string of bad habits (not paying attention, talking too loud and for too long, flirting shamelessly, holding in my pee, raiding the refrigerator at ungodly hours, only to mention a few) that I happen to have. Among my favorites are Lille Bose's Una and Miguel (I remember gushing to her about it which prompted her to post about it in her blog :p), The Break up Diaries and Vince's Life by Maya Calica and Vince Teves, respectively.

In my opinion, Chicklit is not really as different from Anne of Green Gables or even Little Women and Pride and Prejudice, etc. as it may seem. Montgomery, Alcott and Austen all wrote about women who may not necessarily lead charmed lives but were charming nonetheless because of how they chose to defy societal expectations (even within their family) and remain true to themselves, all with such grace and spunk that we feel we can relate to or at least be jealous of.

I mean, think about it: doesn't Karen's decision to invest in her own apartment, take massive risks outside of her comfort zone and make drastic changes and even sacrifices that eventually pay off in an ending that calls for a victorious soundtrack (think Aretha Franklin's RESPECT or something by Queen, perhaps?) sound familiar?

This may all just make perfect sense in my sorry excuse for a brain but while Chicklit leaves the impression of being very modern (in more ways than one) and relevant in today's society, the Classics actually also were because they were remarkably ahead of their time. The latter advocated self-actualization and independence at times when women were commonly considered beasts of burden. Anne pursued higher education and moved away from her family to accept a job as a high school principal, Jo was hardly the embodiment of what a woman is supposed to be and even less apologetic of the fact in Little Women and Pride and Prejudice's Elizabeth did not throw herself at the feet of the rich bachelor that made advances toward her (much to the disgust of her mother that was desperate to make good matches for her daughters).

I am not trying to belittle the many merits of this type of literature by pointing out the similarities that I have noticed. The universal themes expressed by such young voices (that sound like the people we watch on television, know personally or even ourselves) through interesting characters that are nowhere near perfect but are surprisingly mostly okay with it and cope very well and move so familiarly in a setting that doesn't sound foreign in our ears is what I appreciate the best about Chicklit.

These people do not belong to the perfect kind that seem to exist only in toothpaste commercials. They represent you and the rest of the people you know and love and share the same human vulnerability that we can't help but empathize with them so passionately.

Speaking of which, as a Whodunnit or crime novel, Smaller and Smaller Circles doesn't actually do much for me because I was expecting it to be a gripping page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat with twists and turns reminiscent of Zigzag Road and a shocking spoiler that will stop me from putting down the book to do anything else. However, much to some of my friends' dismay as a psychological thriller, it was more of the former.

Thankfully, the plot was well mapped out, the writing was air tight (like a virgin) and everyone from Saenz to the deceased boys' mothers had three-dimensional personalities that honestly appealed to me. More "psychological" than it is "thriller", Batacan paints a picture of the oppressive life in the slums with the vicious cycle of poverty, frustratingly inefficient system and dynamics of human nature with a contrasting but complementing choice of vibrant and somber colors. She brushes on characteristics and nuances with thick, deliberate strokes that fall subtly but with great impact layer over layer, presenting us with a masterpiece so beautifully phrased and intricately detailed you can almost see the blood, sweat and tears on the pages. Instead, what you are faced with is harsh but inescapable reality that only emphasizes the good, the bad and occasional ugly sides of our existence.

Not surprisingly, the part of the story that struck (and depressed) me the most was when the backgrounds of the mothers of the identified victims were given. Sometimes, people conveniently forget that the poor have more concerns than finding something to eat. It's one thing to be hurt or helpless with food digesting merrily in the depths of your body, clothes on your pretty little back with nary a worry about the future and quite another to feel so freaking trapped and drowning but not having the voice to scream for help - not that anyone can hear anything over the growling pangs of hunger coming from their stomachs.