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curiouslyjade's review against another edition
5.0
Short stories that spellbind and satisfy. I found Alvar's ability to maintain both a strong voice and write with great versatility very impressive.
kuya_kes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
melodys_library's review against another edition
4.0
This intimate collection of short stories had me reeling. There was a sense of desperation in every story, a craving for tastes and sounds of home, characters vying to fill the voids of loneliness. Alvar captured the unwavering, undying devotion that is characteristic of all Filipinx families. My favorites were “The Miracle Worker” and “Esmerelda.”
Dropping a star only because of the last story. The novella “In the Country” after which the collection is named was just too slow for me. My interest wasn’t piqued until the last 15 pages.
Dropping a star only because of the last story. The novella “In the Country” after which the collection is named was just too slow for me. My interest wasn’t piqued until the last 15 pages.
piamikaela's review against another edition
5.0
"in the country" is a compilation of short stories detailing experiences of the filipino diaspora. it's familiar and foreign all at once. these experiences are mine but not mine, shared by so many and only heard about by others. the tagalog words and phrases, the cities i've been to and could only dream of visiting. it's like coming home at a time i won't be able to. each short story is gripping and raw and real. they are nothing short of stunning.
supkevs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
anklelee's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
whatthedeuce's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bookbelle5_17's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Review of “In the Country”
By: Mia Alvar
This was one of the rare times where I have read a whole collection of short stories and liked all of them. My theory is that I had felt a personal connection while reading these nine stories. I thought about my maternal grandmother, my Lola, and did she have similar experiences to the characters of each of these stories? Some of the stories had funny moments and others were serious and sad. Alvar focused on the 70s and 80s, the time she grew up in and highlights the experiences of Filipino people whether they were in America, Bahrain, or still in the Philippines. We get perspectives of mothers, sons, daughters, husbands, and wives, and she shows the struggle of loving your country and want to escape the horrors of it. The bookend stories were the darkest stories to me to read and had the saddest endings. The one of the stories took place during 9/11. The food referenced in a couple of the stories wasn’t described in detail, but it did make me hungry. This was a good, but sad story collection that is another step in my journey on connecting more with my Filipino culture.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Classism, Miscarriage, Bullying, Abandonment, Death, Violence, War, Cursing, Ableism, Colonisation, Grief, Kidnapping, and Racism
essayem's review against another edition
4.0
Mia Alvar’s In The Country is the kind of short story collection you wish would never end.
Usually with collections like these, you can pick it up, read a story, put it back down and go on with your day. Not so with this one. Alvar’s character-driven stories of life in the Philippines are lush, layered and so compelling I couldn’t put it down.
The nine stories tell of the lives of Filipinos based mostly in Manila but also of their lives abroad in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Alvar writes from several different perspectives - the rich, the poor, the expatriated; of lost sons and ambitious daughters - each with voices so distinct and details so intimate you might swear you were the son adjusting to the summer heat or the young girl trudging home through the mud.
I kept this one on my to-read list for too long, it’s definitely worth the time.
Usually with collections like these, you can pick it up, read a story, put it back down and go on with your day. Not so with this one. Alvar’s character-driven stories of life in the Philippines are lush, layered and so compelling I couldn’t put it down.
The nine stories tell of the lives of Filipinos based mostly in Manila but also of their lives abroad in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Alvar writes from several different perspectives - the rich, the poor, the expatriated; of lost sons and ambitious daughters - each with voices so distinct and details so intimate you might swear you were the son adjusting to the summer heat or the young girl trudging home through the mud.
I kept this one on my to-read list for too long, it’s definitely worth the time.
johns_library's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
In The Country is a collection of short stories, that focuses on the Filipino experience, from those working overseas, struggling through poverty and corruption at home, or the children returning home to see their families once again. This book hit many memories for me, as I’ve experienced the same tension of the immigrant child in a new country, to the returning adult visiting family in the Philippines. In many of the stories, I see my mother in them, the hard-worker. Or perhaps the father, much too proud to ask for help. Alvar hits the perfect mix of prose and drama in each of the story that she tells. Some filled with hope, others with shattering heart-break of reality that many Filipino’s experience on a given day.
Some of my favourite stories include Kontrabida, The Contract Overseas, and the finale of In The Country, The last story, and also the longest, has a beautiful structure jumping between the different decades of a couple. Of which they find themselves in the middle of the EDSA rallies, of which my own parents would have experience and even talked about with my siblings.
Overall, I loved this collection. In many ways, Mia Alvar writes of home or even something familiar when I go through each of these stories. For those who are looking for anthologies on books from unique voices, I highly recommend this one.