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samneedham17's review against another edition
4.0
Really powerful series of short stories. I’m glad I read this after living in the Philippines and knowing more about its history.
herbiehickmott's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful, touching short stories set in Manila, Bahrain and beyond.
dlrosebyh's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
2.0
As a Filipino, I can understand why Filipinos praise this book. Yes, it’s relatable. Yes, it’s written beautifully. But for me, I don’t think it’s the perfect short story collection.
Short stories for me, personally, are a 50/50. I either love or hate it. In The Country consists of nine short stories about different Filipino dynamics such as families with members who are suffering from drug addiction, OFWs, etc. The thing about this collection is that if I don’t find the story relatable or interesting, I just simply don’t care. I have a natural instinct of wanting to move on because it’s ‘only short’. And I do admit that I am a red flag for that.
What I did love about this book, though, is the fact that the voices are so distinct from each other. You can feel the joy, the sorrow, the angst, of the characters you’re following. In short story collections, there’s a tendency that characters are too similar to each other because short story collections (normally) follow one theme. But that was not the case for Alvar. And I absolutely loved the way she wrote her characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, and Child death
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, and Body shaming
Minor: Infidelity, Drug use, and Eating disorder
nounthenoun's review against another edition
5.0
Feeling the full spectrum of human emotion and so eternally grateful to my parents
kirstycurty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
jelundberg's review against another edition
5.0
The strongest piece in this collection, by far, is the title novella (which takes up a full quarter of the book), and its oppositional slice-of-life look at raising a family during dictatorship and revolution. One thing the book as a whole does brilliantly is show Filipinos of many social strata: the impoverished, the educated middle-class, the privileged wealthy. (The last group was the least interesting to me, but it is no fault of Alvar's; I find myself tired and angry with the so-called hardships of people with obscene amounts of money.) To many in Singapore (where I live), Pinoys are seen almost exclusively as domestic workers, and Alvar is keen to show them also as engineers, academics, revolutionary journalists. This book is on the shortlist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction, and deservedly so.
nuhafariha's review against another edition
5.0
Mia Alvar's writing is so so beautiful. In particular, there is a story about a woman who tries to teach a disabled child in which Alvar explores the narrative from different perspectives and it is very touching. I also liked the story about the boy in the wheelchair and his romance with the poor villager which was both lighthearted but tragic. In a way, this is what most of Alvar's writing is about. It's the little moments that strike at the heart the most and Alvar wields this to her advantage. The way she talks about women characters, especially the last story, is very subtle but strong.
kittoo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Matalas at marahas ang lahat ng kuwento, na kahit simple ang pangunahing banghay ay nagkakaroon ng lalim ang bawat karakter sa kanilang paglisan, pag-uwi, at paulit-ulit na pagbabaybay ng makikitid na mundong kanilang ginagalawan. My favorite story is called Overseas Contract, which flawlessly integrates the modern conflict of working abroad and a family being left behind, with the genesis of a young fictionist back home. It highlights the power of storytelling and how sometimes, in the face of distances impossible to cross and helplessness against labor and cultural opression, the only thing a teenager can do is to write and keep their loved ones close to them, breathing and alive. One of the most impt collections by a filipina writer in the 21st century.
tr_sha's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0