written by Christoph Dehn
Step into the Philippines of the late Marcos era and early ’90s through the eyes of Jan Grosz, a retired German development expert haunted by his past. Christoph Dehn’s Paraiso weaves together:
• A crime thriller
• A Filipino road-movie-turned-novel
• A poignant love story
• A searing chronicle of the CPP’s brutal purges
As Jan retraces a decade of aid projects gone awry, he uncovers how perfectly engineered funding pipelines funneled European grants to the New People’s Army—and how even those who set out to help became complicit in violence.
Why you can’t put it down
• Vivid insider’s view of NGOs at work, from boardrooms in Bonn to jungle camps in Negros
• Heart-stopping scenes of ideological terror that echo Orwell, Pol Pot and Sendero Luminoso
• Rich cultural tapestry: Filipino street food, hotel lore, everyday language lessons and drop-out dreamers searching for their own “Paraiso”
• Complex characters driven by faith, fervor and fear, whose confessions will stay with you long after the last page
From rebellion’s passionate ideals…
Jan’s former comrades recount youthful megalomania, martyr fantasies and comrade-on-comrade interrogations. You’ll witness Bernie the conscience-stricken torturer, Kaloy the would-be hero saved at the last moment—and Diwa, whose revolutionary love leaves no room for tenderness.
…to the toll of unforgiving doctrine
Experience the NPA’s fatal shift from Robin Hood rebels to doctrinal zealots, the hidden histories of financial manipulation, and the chilling bargain between aid and insurgency.
Dive into a novel where every confession demands redemption—and every hidden paradise may conceal a nightmare.
Christoph Dehn, Paraiso, Cebu City (Optima Typographics and PATH) 2025, English edition, can be ordered from philippinenbüro e.V. at 12 € inclusive of shipping (Germany only) at info(at)philippinenbuero.de.
Paraiso, English edition, is also available as e-book on Amazon.
