Everyone was asking “who Aurora is?”.

In the function room of Manila Grand Opera Hotel, #whoisAurora was trending that afternoon. We only knew her as the lady whose silhouette was all over the press kits, posters and cover of the book, Broken Mirror: Inside a Chinese Marriage. 

Aurora Teo Mei Ling is a real person. She was born in 1967 in Northern Philippies – the only offspring of a Chinese immigrant and his young Filipina mistress who died in a tragic circumstances. Aurora was abused as a child and neglected as a teenager. She married a man from China and embraced the role of a traditional Chinese wife, enduring untold sufferings. The book, Broken Mirror: Inside a Chinese Marriage tells her story, her sufferings and submission, and the secret world of Filipino-Chinese marriages. 

Marriage is a sensitive topic for some, especially if it involves cross-cultural union – more so, one that doesn’t revolve around love. I personally stay away from reading sad stories but somehow, Broken Mirror: Inside a Chinese Marriage book got me curious about what’s inside a woman’s mind who endure an abusive relationship. Maybe, some of us are in an abusive relationship – and we are not just aware of such – because we embraced culture that sees woman’s silence in the face of abuse and maltreatment as a virtue because of self-sacrifice and submission (it was quite timely that I was watching Melania Trump’s videos and how people say she could be a victim of abusive affair). 

I started reading the Epilogue of the book and although I hate sad stories (especially about women in an abusive relationship), I felt drawn to Aurora. It was written in a first person perspective that it feels like reading a blog post – only that, it was nothing about travels that I mostly enjoy r. It is as if I am looking at a mirror and seeing Aurora. I don’t see a broken mirror though. I wish I could just tell Aurora to leave the relationship and find someone who could make her happy, but who am I to say what is best for someone. Some people often think that what work for them could work for others.

The book is dedicated to women who are trapped by tradition and bound in a loveless marriage. 

If you are one of these women, if you are like Aurora – go read the book and find solace through the book. I wish Broken Mirror ends with a happy tone – or at least with a good closure (like La La Land). 

The author, Coylee Gamboa said that men should also buy the book. It is for them to understand how women need be loved.  

with Erica Yu-B, Martin Andrade, Lou SV, Marjorie Pineda-Uy, Levy Martinez, Iris Pulga, John Bueno, Rain Ferdinand

The book is available in all Fully Booked branches at BGC, Powerplant mall, Greenbelt 5, Mall of Asia, Alabang Town Center, Century Mall, Eastwood Mall, Greenhills Promenade