Just Call Me Lucky is a book written by Rey Atalia. He is the father of popular fiction writer Eros Atalia. This was released in e-book format by BUCO Publishing, the digital arm of Summit Media. Before this book, he already published two books. First was a back-to-back novel entitled Walang Hagdan Patungong Langit and Simula ng Wakas under Psicom Publishing. The other book was Karayom (Tagos sa Utak) independently published and re-published also by BUCO.
I accompanied Rey Atalia when he submitted a copy of his novel during the 2nd Fiipino Readercon held at Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City. Before the novel was published by BUCO, he sent me the manuscript through e-mail because he wanted me to review it. So, I read it and what can I say? It was very impressive and it was really well-written. I am not saying this because Rey is my friend. This is my personal and honest opinion about his work.
This book was written with a first person point of view. Lucky is a college student who is very adventurous. He tried some vices like smoking, booze drinking and even being a womanizer. Lucky is just an ordinary guy who came from a poor family. He is not the boy-next-door type but he attracts not only to girls but also gays. Oh, I don’t want to give spoilers; this is just a hint on what the book is all about. It is better if you would buy a copy of Rey’s book. One thing is for sure: this book will make you laugh. However, you need to have an open mind because it has scenes not suited for minors and conservative types. But don’t worry, Rey didn't use vulgar words, his writing style is still smooth although this is a naughty book as what you have seen in its cover.
We cannot compare Rey with Eros because they have different writing styles. I think, Eros is more sarcastic than his father. However, both of them know how to make a good plot and with a twist in the end. So, expect that Rey has a twist in every ending of every chapter. There is a Filipino adage that says, “What the tree is, so the fruit would be”. This is very true with Rey and Eros Atalia; being a writer is in their blood, though Rey jokes that he was the one who inherited the talent from Eros.
For a more personal background, Rey is a serious writer and an activist by heart. He was a former editor of some daily tabloids, script writer, and a romance pocketbook writer. No doubt, he is really a veteran writer although writing comedy is a new niche for him. But he already wrote comedy during his years as a comics writer. He can go with the flow and compete with the young and budding writers nowadays.