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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Listened to the audiobook for this one, which might have been a mistake. It's interesting in premise and form, but never goes deep enough into any of the difficulties it examines. Not bad, not great, ultimately not that memorable.
This book has great content, but I didn’t enjoy the execution.
The events in the life of Mauro, Elena, and Talia are told as summaries.
The third-person perspective was fine, but not fulfilling.
Every major moment was told quickly, and empathetic moments were missed because the author wanted the story to keep moving.
We don’t get much of any descriptions. Maybe because the book is moving so fast. I have no idea what their houses are like physically, or their school, or their jobs.
There is only one plotline: Talia.
Everything else feels like a flashback, or a history lesson.
But the story is good, if simple. The events are big, but we never get to enjoy them. The struggles are big, but we don’t spend much time in them.
The events in the life of Mauro, Elena, and Talia are told as summaries.
The third-person perspective was fine, but not fulfilling.
Every major moment was told quickly, and empathetic moments were missed because the author wanted the story to keep moving.
We don’t get much of any descriptions. Maybe because the book is moving so fast. I have no idea what their houses are like physically, or their school, or their jobs.
There is only one plotline: Talia.
Everything else feels like a flashback, or a history lesson.
But the story is good, if simple. The events are big, but we never get to enjoy them. The struggles are big, but we don’t spend much time in them.
A solid diaspora novel. A the story of a family coping with leaving their homeland, being separated due to immigration issues, and trying to find each other again. You gain perspective from each member of the family, their fears, thoughts, and experiences feeling like an “other”. Didn’t completely floor me, but was an enjoyable, quick read.
“We’re all migrants here on earth.”
Elena and Mauro come to the United States with hope in their eyes for a better future and to be able to support family back in Colombia. But constant moving, job changes while being shortchanged on wages, and showering in gas stations begins to dull the glimmer of hope. Then, deportation changes the trajectory of more than one generation of family.
Infinite Country is an intricate, intimate look at a Colombian’s family journey through devastation, immigration, and deportation. Colombian folklore weaves its way through a journey of hope and heartbreak, and a very realistic look into life as an immigrant in the United States. This is an important read and has so much packed into 256 pages. If the opening line of “It was her idea to tie up the nun” doesn’t captivate you right away, I don’t know what will!
Elena and Mauro come to the United States with hope in their eyes for a better future and to be able to support family back in Colombia. But constant moving, job changes while being shortchanged on wages, and showering in gas stations begins to dull the glimmer of hope. Then, deportation changes the trajectory of more than one generation of family.
Infinite Country is an intricate, intimate look at a Colombian’s family journey through devastation, immigration, and deportation. Colombian folklore weaves its way through a journey of hope and heartbreak, and a very realistic look into life as an immigrant in the United States. This is an important read and has so much packed into 256 pages. If the opening line of “It was her idea to tie up the nun” doesn’t captivate you right away, I don’t know what will!
I must admit, when Reese’s Book Club announced Infinite Country as the March selection, I was less than thrilled. The description of the book just didn’t appeal to me.
Well, I will freely admit to being completely and totally wrong about this book (seriously, whoever wrote the blurb needs to be fired)! I picked up this book yesterday morning and finished it in one sitting. It definitely is a book that is difficult to put down.
Infinite Country is a beautiful and utterly gripping story of one family’s quest for the American dream and how that pursuit ultimately shatters the family apart. The book tackles issues of immigration, race and sexual assault as well as the impossible choices parents must make for their children and it does it exceptionally well. Everyone needs to read this book!
“Emigration was a peeling away of the skin. An undoing. You wake each morning and forget where you are, who you are, and when the world outside shows you your reflection, it's ugly and distorted; you've become a scorned, unwanted creature.”
SYNOPSIS
I often wonder if we are living the wrong life in the wrong country.
Talia is being held at a correctional facility for adolescent girls in the forested mountains of Colombia after committing an impulsive act of violence that may or may not have been warranted. She urgently needs to get out and get back home to Bogotá, where her father and a plane ticket to the United States are waiting for her. If she misses her flight, she might also miss her chance to finally be reunited with her family in the north.
How this family came to occupy two different countries, two different worlds, comes into focus like twists of a kaleidoscope. We see Talia’s parents, Mauro and Elena, fall in love in a market stall as teenagers against a backdrop of civil war and social unrest. We see them leave Bogotá with their firstborn, Karina, in pursuit of safety and opportunity in the United States on a temporary visa, and we see the births of two more children, Nando and Talia, on American soil. We witness the decisions and indecisions that lead to Mauro’s deportation and the family’s splintering—the costs they’ve all been living with ever since.
Well, I will freely admit to being completely and totally wrong about this book (seriously, whoever wrote the blurb needs to be fired)! I picked up this book yesterday morning and finished it in one sitting. It definitely is a book that is difficult to put down.
Infinite Country is a beautiful and utterly gripping story of one family’s quest for the American dream and how that pursuit ultimately shatters the family apart. The book tackles issues of immigration, race and sexual assault as well as the impossible choices parents must make for their children and it does it exceptionally well. Everyone needs to read this book!
“Emigration was a peeling away of the skin. An undoing. You wake each morning and forget where you are, who you are, and when the world outside shows you your reflection, it's ugly and distorted; you've become a scorned, unwanted creature.”
SYNOPSIS
I often wonder if we are living the wrong life in the wrong country.
Talia is being held at a correctional facility for adolescent girls in the forested mountains of Colombia after committing an impulsive act of violence that may or may not have been warranted. She urgently needs to get out and get back home to Bogotá, where her father and a plane ticket to the United States are waiting for her. If she misses her flight, she might also miss her chance to finally be reunited with her family in the north.
How this family came to occupy two different countries, two different worlds, comes into focus like twists of a kaleidoscope. We see Talia’s parents, Mauro and Elena, fall in love in a market stall as teenagers against a backdrop of civil war and social unrest. We see them leave Bogotá with their firstborn, Karina, in pursuit of safety and opportunity in the United States on a temporary visa, and we see the births of two more children, Nando and Talia, on American soil. We witness the decisions and indecisions that lead to Mauro’s deportation and the family’s splintering—the costs they’ve all been living with ever since.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A beautifully written book. Everyone should take the time to read this.
This was so well written and have a great insight into the experience of immigrants coming to the US and the struggle of it all. I would highly recommend it, such a wonderful book.