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kylieqrada's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
I don't feel qualified to review this book, but I will give it my best shot. I read this in one sitting. It was not an easy read, but it was a beautifully written and a necessary one. It is a very character-driven look at the immigrant experience, through the lens of one Colombian family. We get multiple points of view, mostly from Talia, the family's youngest daughter, but also from Mauro, the father, Elena, the mother, and Karina and Nando, the other two siblings. Mauro and Talia are together in Columbia, and Elena, Karina, and Nando are together in the U.S. The different POVs allow us to explore the immigration experience from multiple angles, and to understand that "the immigrant" is not a monolith. Particularly, the "undocumented immigrant" is not a monolith. Characters in the book are U.S. citizens, undocumented immigrants, Colombian citizens, and dual citizens. I can't necessarily say that I enjoyed the reading experience of this book, but I did learn a lot, and I think that Patricia Engel is a stunningly gorgeous writer. I docked half of a star for fatphobic content. This book contains a lot of potentially harmful content, so please check CWs before reading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Dementia, Fatphobia, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Rape, Pedophilia, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Grief
katyisreading's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Such a beautiful book. This short novel tells the story of Talia, a 15-year-old Colombian-American who escapes the Colombian reform school she's been placed in to try to catch a flight to the US, where her mother lives with her two siblings and where she hasn't been since she was a baby. While the reader is taken on Talia's journey, we also get her parent's love story and the story of how their initial immigration to the US, perspectives from both her siblings living in the US, and beautiful Andean myths told to Talia by her father.
This was an impressively short book; every single word felt purposeful. Highly recommend to anyone who loves fiction.
This was an impressively short book; every single word felt purposeful. Highly recommend to anyone who loves fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Rape
Moderate: Death
internationalreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Xenophobia
bookdragon217's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Books hold tremendous power. They have the power to provide a lens, transform, but most importantly they open doors to new conversations to answer questions we cannot on our own. For a book to truly have impact, it should do two things: fill you with compassion and leave you with questions.
Infinite Country was one of these books for me that will have me in conversation for a while. There were so many themes to unpack and explore.
After hearing the author say in an interview that "Immigration is about family" it has caused me to reflect deeply. The aspect of family resonated with me, especially when I think about it in conjunction with the concept of love as opposed to sacrifice. How do you stay grounded in family in spaces that view you as foreign and dangerous? How do you protect family in a new, unknown space while maintaining a sense of home and tradition? How do you keep home at the center when you are separated by borders? How do you fight for your own survival in the midst of family obligation? How do you love amidst uncertainty.
Community was another aspect that resonated with me. It reminded me that home and family are always carried in the heart. Borders don't change that. You find family and community in spaces where the focus is on the collective and people join together to help each other and make the best out of difficult circumstances. How do you build community without unique voices contributing to the narrative? How do you gain perspective about a different experience without exploring all angles? This was my favorite aspect of Engel's writing. Each character contributed to the family's story. We get to see the individual motivation, their challenges and the molding of each identity within the family dynamic.
But even more beautiful to me were the conversations and reactions that transpired outside of the pages. Watching Iris moved to tears as she talked about family with the author made me feel every emotion. Listening to Laura and Mari talk about being advocates for their family as children helped to solidify the idea that family is essentially love. Listening to Erica talk about how reading this helped her understand her husband's family and their journey more deeply made me emotional. Knowing that Aimee cried like I did showed me the power of allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and experience true emotion together.
Infinite Country was a beautiful book in that it heled me see what is most important. It impacted me and moved me to go beyond the pages and seek out community and share reflections and emotions with others. It also made me think about how many other stories are out there that need to be told. How we experience stories is unique. How stories bring us together is healing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia
Minor: Death and Suicidal thoughts
bafine's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
I'm writing my review of <i>Infinite Country</i> with tears wet on my cheeks.
This is a feat of descriptive and lyrical prose, intricate multiple viewpoint story-telling, trauma, and love. I am both heartbroken and heart-warmed. In a mere 191 pages I experienced culture, love, loss, desperation, shame, strength, and triumph.
<blockquote>p.32 In Houston, Mauro worked with many men who'd investigated the southern borderlands by foot, some four or five times. ...Still, they returned, even as the journey became harder, the hazards more vicious, <b>convinced this land offered more than theirs had already taken from them.</b></blockquote>
I don't wish to belabor on the subject, but please, <u>if you have not yet read a now famous book of migrant stories written by a white woman, remove it from your list and replace it with this one.</u> I have now read both and I can tell you that not only does this book tell the story of immigration from an actual Latinx dual-citizen daughter of immigrants, but it is much better written.
<i>Infinite Country</i> is rich with Andean folklore and wildlife. In my mind I could envision the streets of Bogotá and flew with the condors high above treetops. I got lost in Engel's beautiful myths of how humans came to be.
<blockquote>p.95 Traditional Knowledge maintained that the first race of humans was extinguished by the gods because of their cannibalism. A second generation of humans transformed into the animals that inhabit the earth. The third race of humans was created anew by the gods, formed from clay. We are only soil and water baked in the sun to dry, ...Is it any wonder we are so fragile and destined to break?</blockquote>
When I read about the way we treat immigrants and their families in America, I always feel so broken. We call ourselves a melting pot, <i>"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore"</i> but we turn away anyone who doesn't look or speak like us. <i>Infinite Country</i> is a love letter to immigrants and to the earth. Animals and fault lines do not create borders--humans do.
I hope to see this book popping up in book clubs around the country and world. I am so grateful that this was my Book of the Month pick on early release. I recommend this book to everyone, but especially fellow white Americans. We have so much work to do.
This is a feat of descriptive and lyrical prose, intricate multiple viewpoint story-telling, trauma, and love. I am both heartbroken and heart-warmed. In a mere 191 pages I experienced culture, love, loss, desperation, shame, strength, and triumph.
<blockquote>p.32 In Houston, Mauro worked with many men who'd investigated the southern borderlands by foot, some four or five times. ...Still, they returned, even as the journey became harder, the hazards more vicious, <b>convinced this land offered more than theirs had already taken from them.</b></blockquote>
I don't wish to belabor on the subject, but please, <u>if you have not yet read a now famous book of migrant stories written by a white woman, remove it from your list and replace it with this one.</u> I have now read both and I can tell you that not only does this book tell the story of immigration from an actual Latinx dual-citizen daughter of immigrants, but it is much better written.
<i>Infinite Country</i> is rich with Andean folklore and wildlife. In my mind I could envision the streets of Bogotá and flew with the condors high above treetops. I got lost in Engel's beautiful myths of how humans came to be.
<blockquote>p.95 Traditional Knowledge maintained that the first race of humans was extinguished by the gods because of their cannibalism. A second generation of humans transformed into the animals that inhabit the earth. The third race of humans was created anew by the gods, formed from clay. We are only soil and water baked in the sun to dry, ...Is it any wonder we are so fragile and destined to break?</blockquote>
When I read about the way we treat immigrants and their families in America, I always feel so broken. We call ourselves a melting pot, <i>"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore"</i> but we turn away anyone who doesn't look or speak like us. <i>Infinite Country</i> is a love letter to immigrants and to the earth. Animals and fault lines do not create borders--humans do.
I hope to see this book popping up in book clubs around the country and world. I am so grateful that this was my Book of the Month pick on early release. I recommend this book to everyone, but especially fellow white Americans. We have so much work to do.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Death, Terminal illness, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
biblio_jordyn's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
📚Book Review📚
Infinite Country follows a Colombian family torn apart and fractured by deportation. This story starts with Elena and Mauro when they meet and fall in love in Colombia, a country plagued with violence, their trip to the US with their daughter, their two US born children being delivered, their precarious position as they fall into undocumented status, Mauro’s deportation and Elena’s hard choice to send one of her children back to Colombia to be cared for by her mother to ease some of her burdens being without Mauro in the US, and everything after that. This story is told from the FIVE perspectives of the family.
This is a book, the more time I spend away from it, the more I appreciate how important it is.
This book gives a voice to these people, several in fact. You get to hear from the parents and the children, giving a unique perspective to the struggles and the culture of this community.
This book is less than 200 pages, but leaves a lasting impression. My heart hurt for this family and these people. The discrimination, prejudice, and hard choices they constantly have to make made me want hug them.
I will say, this book felt like a U. It packed a punch in the beginning, felt like it got a little egh in the middle and packed another punch the last third of the book, I wish it was more captivating the whole read but that may have been the perspective changes and me connecting to some characters more than others.
However, I’m so glad I read it. It felt very real. The fear, the sadness, the love, the constant conflicting emotions of these families felt real. What they experienced was real, I could see real families, the ones who have been torn apart by their loved ones in this book.
This book was a kaleidoscope, so many moving pieces and unclear at first but a perfect image created at the end.
Infinite Country follows a Colombian family torn apart and fractured by deportation. This story starts with Elena and Mauro when they meet and fall in love in Colombia, a country plagued with violence, their trip to the US with their daughter, their two US born children being delivered, their precarious position as they fall into undocumented status, Mauro’s deportation and Elena’s hard choice to send one of her children back to Colombia to be cared for by her mother to ease some of her burdens being without Mauro in the US, and everything after that. This story is told from the FIVE perspectives of the family.
This is a book, the more time I spend away from it, the more I appreciate how important it is.
This book gives a voice to these people, several in fact. You get to hear from the parents and the children, giving a unique perspective to the struggles and the culture of this community.
This book is less than 200 pages, but leaves a lasting impression. My heart hurt for this family and these people. The discrimination, prejudice, and hard choices they constantly have to make made me want hug them.
I will say, this book felt like a U. It packed a punch in the beginning, felt like it got a little egh in the middle and packed another punch the last third of the book, I wish it was more captivating the whole read but that may have been the perspective changes and me connecting to some characters more than others.
However, I’m so glad I read it. It felt very real. The fear, the sadness, the love, the constant conflicting emotions of these families felt real. What they experienced was real, I could see real families, the ones who have been torn apart by their loved ones in this book.
This book was a kaleidoscope, so many moving pieces and unclear at first but a perfect image created at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Rape
Moderate: Alcoholism and Violence
eflatkey's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Xenophobia, Death, Death of parent, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Confinement and Alcoholism
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