Arsenic and Adobo

Lila’s best friend Adeena is a lesbian who has magenta highlights and an undercut in her hair. Adeena’s “parents [know] [...] but conveniently [ignore]” her sexuality (66). Lila and Adeena’s relationship is grounded in loyalty and mutual support, and Lila knows that Adeena is “ready to go to battle for [her]” at a moment’s notice (73). However, Adeena keeps the fact that Jo, her original boss at Java Jo’s, died of an overdose a secret from Lila. The complexity of their relationship is illustrated by the fact that Lila moved to Chicago while Adeena stayed in Shady Palms; despite their other similarities, this difference becomes an obstacle in their relationship as Lila struggles to understand Adeena’s decision. Throughout the novel, Adeena tries to convince Lila to stay in their hometown and open a cafe with her. Adeena’s character fills the role of Lila’s sidekick, but she also makes key contributions to Lila’s investigation, Adeena is more practical than Lila. She also has a better memory than Lila and realizes that Kevin is the murderer before Lila does.

Lila admires how Adeena has “a magical touch, experimenting with beverages the way [Lila does] with [her] bakes” (64). However, because of her secrecy, Adeena’s desire to open their cafe in Shady Palms confuses Lila. Once the truth comes to light, and they are given the deed to Java Jo’s, Adeena is able to persuade Lila to stay in their hometown. One thing that remains unresolved between Adeena and Lila at the end of Arsenic and Adobo is the crush that Amir, Adeena’s brother, and Lila have on each other. Lila notes that “Adeena has a weird complex when it comes to her brother” (244). This complex comes from her brother being a golden child and her parents never appreciating her as much as Amir.

Elena is Adeena’s romantic interest. Elena dates both men and women. She briefly dated Derek before becoming involved with Adeena. Elena has “black cat-eye glasses, dark lipstick, and a multitude of piercings” (133). When they meet, Lila immediately knows that Elena is Adeena’s type. Elena runs WhichCraft Beauty Brews with her mom and works at El Gato Negro, her family’s restaurant. Elena’s mother is not the first owner of the restaurant. Elena’s uncle and aunt were run out of town by Derek’s scam, so her mother took over the operation of El Gato Negro. Over the course of the novel, Elena becomes Adeena’s girlfriend and learns to trust Lila. At the end of Arsenic and Adobo, Elena is part of the business plan for Lila and Adeena’s cafe.

In Tagalog, “tita” means aunt, and “lola” means grandmother. These are Lila’s relatives who raised her after the death of her parents. They also founded and run Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. Both Tita Rosie and Lola Flor are religious and interested in sharing traditional Filipino culture with people. They keep the restaurant very clean; Lila reflects, “Cleanliness was next to godliness, and there were few people who took godliness as seriously as my aunt and grandmother” (30). They are prominent members of their church, with a regular pew, and they frequently donate food for members of the congregation.

However, Rosie is more good-natured than Flor. Other restaurateurs, like Stan, assert that “Miss Rosie is good people” (115). Lila reflects, “[A] detective told her she’s being blamed for someone’s death and my aunt was more worried about his well-being than her own. That’s my Tita Rosie for you” (36). At the beginning of the novel, Rosie is friends with Detective Park. However, their relationship becomes strained when he goes after Lila and the restaurant. After the police question Rosie about Mr. Long’s murder, Lila sees her walk out of the station, “so strong and so alone” (270). Lila discovers that Mrs. Long killed her husband but keeps that information secret after Rosie is cleared. Over the course of the novel, Lila observes that “this whole Derek thing had left her more cautious, undermined her confidence” (255). Derek dying in her restaurant changed Rosie. However, she is invigorated when they are cleared of murder charges and their restaurant reopens at the end of the novel.

Lila’s grandmother, Flor, immigrated from the Philippines to America. She is not as kind as Rosie. She is critical of Lila, frequently nagging her about the way she chops vegetables and her weight. Flor is feared by Lila’s godmothers, and Lila notes, “That old woman was strong” (181). During the legal and unofficial investigation of Derek’s murder, Flor visits the casinos. She “sure did love the casinos” (45), but especially turns to them in the time of crisis. Flor is a static character, reflecting her stubborn nature as well as the tendencies of her generation.

The three women of the Calendar Crew are Lila’s godmothers. They are also referred to as her aunties, or Ninang April, Ninang Mae, and Ninang June. This means that they are not her blood relations: They were friends with her late mother. These women publicly defend Rosie after her restaurant is accused of poisoning Derek. The Calendar Crew are static characters that complain about Lila’s weight, gossip in Tagalog, and meddle in people’s romantic lives. They play both positive and negative roles in Lila’s character arc, representing the simultaneous challenges and benefits of living in a small, tight-knit community.

At one point, the Calendar Crew tries to set up Lila with 21-year-old Marcus, who is Ninang Mae’s son. The Calendar Crew also notes how Lila has competed with Ninang June’s daughter, Bernadette, for most of her life. Bernadette works at the hospital and becomes warmer toward Lila as the novel progresses. She used to date Ronnie, Rosie’s son and Lila’s cousin. His drug use is mentioned but never explained in detail, and Lila never sees him in person. June herself is a retired nurse and performs CPR on Derek when he collapses in Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. She also is able to help Lila with the case more than the other aunties.

Terrence was close friends with Derek in high school and briefly dated Lila. He and Lila remained friends, but their relationship was a sore point for his fiancé, Janet Spinelli. Janet was Lila’s high school bully and works at the hospital. Kevin assaults Janet with the dog statue she sculpts for Lila when he discovers that Janet was helping Derek obtain drugs to sell. After her assault, Janet is in a coma. By the end of the novel, however, she wakes up from her coma and confesses to her crimes.

Terrence, on the other hand, is a good friend and kind person. Lila remembers how he “had always been the voice of reason in high school. The calm and steady good influence that the rest of us never listened to. Yet he was kind enough to never rub it in our faces that he was right” (245). Terrence tries to reconnect with Derek after they go to different colleges but stops spending time with him after one of the people Derek sells drugs to, Jo, dies of an overdose. Terrence is also strongly opposed to Derek’s scam with the health inspector and Mr. Long. At the end of the novel, Lila vows to be a better friend to Terrence, but she doubts that he will marry Janet. This change in romantic interest is the most dynamic aspect of Terrence’s character.

Kevin is initially introduced as a minor character—the owner of Java Jo’s and Adeena’s boss. He is known for buying horrible pastries for the cafe and smoking a vape pen. At the end of the novel, it is revealed that Kevin murdered Derek with liquid nicotine from his vape. Kevin’s sister, Jo, was the original owner of Java Jo’s. She died of a drug overdose from pills that she bought from Derek. Kevin killed Derek in revenge. This act, combined with Kevin’s assault on Janet, his kidnapping of Adeena, and his assault on Lila, make him the antagonist of the novel. However, his criminal actions are complicated by the fact that he acts out of love for his dead sister, adding nuance and complexity to his characterization.

Detective Park is the officer who is officially in charge of finding Derek’s killer. Lila describes Park as a “silver fox” and learns he “brought down that drug smuggling ring” (32). Park’s background in drug cases is why he goes after Lila when Derek’s drugs are planted in her locker instead of focusing on finding who murdered Derek. Park is a somewhat static and stereotypical character. He can be compared with other police officers in the detective fiction genre who are bested by unofficial investigators like Adeena and Lila. However, his brother describes Park as the “cool, smart guy” in their family (137).

These three men represent Lila’s past and present romantic interests. Derek, her high school sweetheart, is also the victim whose murder Lila must solve. He was a couple of years older than Lila and “a disgusting human being” (285). His legal job was as a food critic for the local paper, but he also had a few illegal side hustles: selling drugs and running scams on restaurateurs, especially ones run by people who are not white, like him. When Detective Park caught Derek selling drugs, Derek “turned informant for” Park (172). However, losing his income from drugs caused Derek to ramp up his scams. He had an affair with Yuki, who runs a sushi restaurant in town. After Derek’s death, Yuki tells Lila that he “still loved” Lila and “wanted to ruin” her (264). Derek is murdered because a customer of his, Jo, overdoses, and her brother, Kevin, seeks revenge.

Amir and Jae add the element of romantic comedy to the novel. They compete for Lila’s attention. Lila and Amir have been attracted to each other for many years, but Adeena doesn’t approve of them dating. Amir is a lawyer and “The Golden Boy” in his family (33). The hierarchical treatment by their parents consistently causes Adeena to feel inferior to Amir. Jae is Lila’s newest romantic interest. He is the younger brother of Detective Park, 29 years old, and a “bookworm.” Jae works as a dentist, lives alone, and doesn’t “have many friends in town” (201). At the end of the novel, Lila still hasn’t decided which of them she wants to date.

The contrast between Lila’s past romantic interest—a scam artist, drug dealer, and murder victim—and her present romantic interests symbolizes the difference between Lila’s past and her future. While Lila’s past is marked with bad luck, including her ex-fiancé’s behavior, her relationship with Derek, and the death of her parents, Amir and Jae represent the promise of a positive future with a good relationship and a new career venture alongside her best friend.