Saturdays (novel)

Saturdays is a romance novel by Filipino author A. Roy Chua. It can also be interpreted as an account of the teenage years of a popular singer (the main character) upon falling in love, and her life with her best friends in her band, instead of a straight love story.

The author started writing and rewriting the novel in 2004 and, more recently, rewrote the novel on NaNoWriMo in 2006 and 2007. Formerly titled Eternal Love, the novel was rewritten for the last time on November 1, 2007 and is expected to be finished in December of the same year. During both times the author wrote the book on NaNoWriMo, he won the contest's 50,000 word count on November 25, 2007. It is expected that the novel will have 75,000 words as the author posted on his profile in NaNoWriMo.

This is Chua's first novel. On NaNoWriMo, he writes under the name jake_alexander.

Plot summary

Raissa Adams finds her world crashing down around her after the death of her boyfriend, Daniel King. At first, she refuses to return to dating. Two years later, however, Raissa is the lead singer of an internationally successful band, and one night, stumbles into Jake Constantino, a rising singer.

Taken by his charisma, Raissa almost immediately falls in love with him. Spanning months of recording and touring, Raissa and Jake become closer, and eventually, a couple. Just when Raissa thinks her life is perfectly happy again, out comes a betrayal so Horrible and hurting that Raissa soon finds herself fleeing for love. And possibly, her life.

Main Characters

Raissa Adams :

The main character Raissa Adams (born 1987) is a Filipino-American pop singer of the band Fudgiebar. She is also the daughter of Nicholas Adams and Edith Ventura, who own an internationally successful record company, Adams Music. The story opens with the loss of her boyfriend Daniel King. Raissa is portrayed as social, kind, loving, and modest, especially AbOUT her wealth; she does not like being treated better than other people just because of her status.

Jake Constantino :

Jake Constantino (born 1986) is, like Raissa Adams, a Filipino-American. At first, he is conscious about himself as far as music is concerned because he can play the piano and has written songs On It, but does not play piano live and plays it for his albums very rarely. However, after meeting Raissa in a discotheque, he falls in love with her instantly and notices his life changes dramatically. He is portrayed as kind, loving, and charismatic, and enjoys wearing jeans and steel-toe boots, a reference to the author, who enjoys wearing boots as well. Ultimately, Jake becomes Raissa's lover, and half of the novel shows the initial stages of their relationship. He has already released two successful albums and hopes to return to college after releasing a greatest hits album. He joins Fudgiebar early in the story.

Rachael Sakamoto :

Raissa's cousin and best friend Rachael (born 1986) is a Japanese-Filipino singer who is another vocalist in Fudgiebar. Her mother, who married a Japanese man, is the sister of Raissa's mother. Rachael is portrayed as caring for Raissa more than caring for herself, especially in the aftermath of Daniel's death, when Raissa's attitude goes beyond control and she even contemplates [...]. At the same time, though, Rachael also enjoys teasing Raissa. She is fond of wearing her kimono and, sans the hairstyle, resembles a geisha sometimes; she does not care if other people laugh at her for her attire.

Justin Adams :

Raissa's younger brother Justin (born 1990) is Fudgiebar's guitarist. Like Jake, he enjoys wearing boots and is usually said to look like a rocker. Justin enjoys teasing and making life hard for Raissa, but deep down, he loves her and will do anything for her.

Brian Sakamoto :

Rachael's younger brother Brian (born 1990) is Fudgiebar's pianist. Unlike Rachael, who looks Asian, Brian looks more Filipino, and has inherited his Filipino mother's appearance. He is also portrayed as being more well-behaved to his older sister than Justin is to Raissa.

Adam Cousteau :

Adam Cousteau (born 1984) is one of the best friends of Raissa and Rachael, and is drummer and saxophonist for Fudgiebar. He is half-Filipino, quarter-French, and quarter-Chinese. He enjoys photography and gets along with Justin well.

Evelyn Dy :

Evelyn Dy (born 1984) is Adam Cousteau's Chinese-Filipino girlfriend and eventual wife. They were both born on Christmas Day of 1984. Evelyn, who is often called Eve (a play on Adam and Eve), is violinist for Fudgiebar and enjoys hanging out with Raissa and Rachael.

Daniel King :

Daniel King (1985-2002) is the first boyfriend of Raissa, and, like Evelyn, is Chinese-Filipino. He dies before the start of the story, and is always remembered by Raissa throughout the story. When she is convinced that she is in love with Jake, she refers to him as "Daniel's reincarnation as far as love goes".

Awards and nominations

• 2006 NaNoWriMo (as Eternal Love)
• 2007 NaNoWriMo

External links

• NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month official website
• Author's Profile, A. Roy Chua's NaNo Profile