Brian Plunkett reviewed Infinite Country by Patricia Engel
Infinite Country - 4 Stars
4 stars
I've never read anything before that was focused on Colombia, so that aspect of the book was very interesting to me (i.e., the culture, legends, and geography of that country). It's a moving story about a family torn between Colombia and the United States, with gut-wrenching choices (e.g., do you send your baby back to relatives in Colombia so you are more able to work in the U.S.?) and insights that challenge certain beliefs (e.g., is Colombia really so much worse, when the U.S. has its own serious problems like worker/immigrant exploitation and school shootings?). There were some things that didn't make sense to me, like a reference early in the book to "the illusion that women are safer among women." Also, if I were a teenage girl on the run and looking for someone to help me and give me a ride, I'm not sure my first choice would …
I've never read anything before that was focused on Colombia, so that aspect of the book was very interesting to me (i.e., the culture, legends, and geography of that country). It's a moving story about a family torn between Colombia and the United States, with gut-wrenching choices (e.g., do you send your baby back to relatives in Colombia so you are more able to work in the U.S.?) and insights that challenge certain beliefs (e.g., is Colombia really so much worse, when the U.S. has its own serious problems like worker/immigrant exploitation and school shootings?). There were some things that didn't make sense to me, like a reference early in the book to "the illusion that women are safer among women." Also, if I were a teenage girl on the run and looking for someone to help me and give me a ride, I'm not sure my first choice would be to seek out a lone man around my father's age. But, anyway, overall I enjoyed the story quite a bit. It was a nice touch when some of the later chapters switched to narration by Talia's brother and sister in the U.S.
