Book Review: "Infinite Country" by Patricia Engel
“Infinite Country” by Patricia Engel
Synopsis: Talia is being held at a correctional facility for adolescent girls in the forested mountains of Colombia after committing an impulsive act of violence that may or may not have been warranted. She urgently needs to get out and get back home to Bogotá, where her father and a plane ticket to the United States are waiting for her. If she misses her flight, she might also miss her chance to finally be reunited with her family in the north.
How this family came to occupy two different countries, two different worlds, comes into focus like twists of a kaleidoscope. We see Talia's parents, Mauro and Elena, fall in love in a market stall as teenagers against a backdrop of civil war and social unrest. We see them leave Bogotá with their firstborn, Karina, in pursuit of safety and opportunity in the United States on a temporary visa, and we see the births of two more children, Nando and Talia, on American soil. We witness the decisions and indecisions that lead to Mauro's deportation and the family's splintering--the costs they've all been living with ever since.
Award-winning, internationally acclaimed author Patricia Engel, herself a dual citizen and the daughter of Colombian immigrants, gives voice to all five family members as they navigate the particulars of their respective circumstances. And all the while, the metronome ticks: Will Talia make it to Bogotá in time? And if she does, can she bring herself to trade the solid facts of her father and life in Colombia for the distant vision of her mother and siblings in America?
Rich with Bogotá urban life, steeped in Andean myth, and tense with the daily reality of the undocumented in America, Infinite Country is the story of two countries and one mixed-status family--for whom every triumph is stitched with regret, and every dream pursued bears the weight of a dream deferred.
Rating: 4.75
Review: When I see a book that’s as hyped as a “Best Book of the Year” as “Infinite Country” has been, I sometimes try to steer clear — reading is so personal, and tbh, I’ve been burned by those recs in the past. However, I kept seeing this tiny (less than 200 pages!) book all over Instagram, and well, when I saw it as an early release, I figured I’d give it a shot.
Well. In my opinion, the hype was warranted. This book left me speechless.
I’m not really even sure where to start with this complex story; Patricia Engel manages to do so much in such a concise narrative — it’s an immigrant story, it’s a mythological explanation, it’s a love letter to Colombia, it’s a discourse on the nativist impulses of the United States, and ultimately, one of the best examples of the meaning of family I can remember reading. On top of that, it’s beautifully written and composed; there’s not a wasted word (I wish I could say the same for this review).
On the surface, it’s the story of Talia, a young “troubled” girl, trying to get back to Bogota so that she can immigrate to the United States to live with her mother and siblings — who she’s never met. Or is it actually the romance of Mauro and Elena, two young lovers dreaming of a better life for themselves and their family? We go between the two stories and timelines interchangeably as we go on Talia’s journey across Colombia.
If it sounds like I’m having a hard time describing this book, it’s because I am. I could have really saved myself the effort of writing a full review by just all-caps screaming: READ THIS. Because that’s really what I wanted to do. It’s thoughtful, it’s beautiful, it’s sad and hopeful and a really important look at what it really means to live your “best” life.
TL;DR: Even if you, like me, don’t want to buy into the hype of this one, it’s absolutely warranted. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and one I know will sit with me for a long time.
If You Liked This, Try These:
I picked up a backlist title of Patricia Engel’s after reading this one - “The Veins of the Ocean” (Bookshop | Kindle)
“Clap When You Land” by Elizabeth Acevedo (Bookshop | Kindle | my review)
“Children of the Land” by Marcella Hernandez Castillo (Bookshop | Kindle)
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