A review by johns_library
In the Country by Mia Alvar

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.