Moderation

Throwing you into the deep end from the beginning, Moderation is an exploration of immigrant family dynamics, the exploitation of workers at big tech companies, and breaking through personal barriers to reach authenticity. 
 

In an introduction of the novel for Atlantic Books, Elaine Castillo describes the two characters as both believing they are in different genres. One character believes they are in a “corporate espionage revenge thriller,” while the other believes they are in a “hardboiled immigrant drama.” In all actuality, they are in a “Jane Austen-style Regency romance.” The novel navigates what it means to be the first-born daughter to Filipino immigrants and meeting the expectations of a dysfunctional family. In the midst of an unexpected romance, Castillo brings attention to the unknown world of monitoring and maintaining the guidelines on social media platforms and the majority Filipina employees who keep everyone on the internet safe from the grotesque and traumatizing images they endure every day. Castillo’s writing is fraught full of metaphors that leave you reeling and characters with distinct personalities that shine through her sharp dialogue.

About the author
Elaine Castillo headshot

Elaine Castillo attended the University of California, Berkeley before moving to London and received an MA in Creative & Life Writing from Goldsmiths, University of London. Her debut novel America Is Not the Heart (2018) was named the best book of 2018 by NPR, The New York Post, and San Francisco Chronicle. Castillo is the recipient of a 2026 Whiting Award for Fiction, a two-time San Francisco Public Library Laureate, and a Berkeley Public Library Laureate. 

Why we chose this book
  • To applaud the workers who get no recognition for protecting everyone from the unsettling corners of the internet. 
  • To acknowledge the stories that are infrequently depicted. 
  • And to find some joy in a tender romance between two characters who believed that love was a feeling that was far behind them. 

Author at Colgate

Join us in person or via Zoom on Thursday, Sept. 3, for Elaine Castillo’s reading and book signing at 4:30 ET in Persson Auditorium. Refreshments available. 

Beyond the Book

  • Named one of “30 of the Planet’s Most Exciting Young People” by the Financial Times 
  • Her debut novel, America Is Not the Heart, was a finalist for the Elle Big Book Award, the Center for Fiction Prize, and the Aspen Words Literary Prize.
  • The author of the acclaimed collection of essays How to Read Now (2022) is the mother to a rescue German Shepherd named Vincent
     

Why be afraid of touching, and being disappointed by the nothing that might make itself known beneath her fingertips? What was so disappointing, about nothing? What was so frightening, about being disappointed?
 

Elaine Castillo Moderation