A review by kittoo
In the Country by Mia Alvar

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.