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jwinchell 's review for:
Infinite Country
by Patricia Engel
In March 2021, 172,000 migrants were detained at the U.S.-Mexico border. That number is unfathomable to me. This novel humanized migration and the loss and benefits of immigration and emigration. Told in two complimentary story lines, we see Talia, youngest US-born child of Elena and Maura, who is on the run from a reform school after a nasty act of aggression in Columbia but is chasing her dream to return to the US. We also watch Elena and Mauro overstay their visas in the US and eventually Mauro is detained and deported. Elena, now the sole bread-winner for their 3 kids, decides to send the youngest, Talia, back to Columbia so that her mother and Mauro can take care of her--it's hard to get off the grid childcare for infants, evidently. The stories intertwine and catch up with each other with Talia's departure from Columbia to the US. So much about the deaths people experience when they leave their home country and the longing they feel for home, this brief but beautifully written novel helped me understand migration in a very intimate way. This is a Reese's book club choice and I'm so glad I read it.