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Infinite Country by Patricia Engel | Thoughts

   Published : 2021   ||    Format : print   ||    Location : Colombia ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆   What was it about the country that kept everyone hostage to its fantasy? The previous month, on its own soil, an American man went to his job at a plant and gunned down fourteen coworkers, and last spring alone there were four different school shootings. A nation at war with itself, yet people still spoke of it as some kind of paradise.. Thoughts : Infinite Country follows two characters - young Talia, who at the beginning of this book, escapes a girl’s reform school in North Colombia so that she can make her previously booked flight to the US. Before she can do that, she needs to travel many miles to reach her father and get her ticket to the rest of her family. As we follow Talia’s treacherous journey south, we learn about how she ended up in the reform school in the first place and why half her family resides in the US. Infinite Country tells the story of her family through the other protagonist, El

Infinite Country by Patricia Engel | Thoughts

  Published: 2021   ||   Format: print   ||   Location: Colombia




☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

 

What was it about the country that kept everyone hostage to its fantasy? The previous month, on its own soil, an American man went to his job at a plant and gunned down fourteen coworkers, and last spring alone there were four different school shootings. A nation at war with itself, yet people still spoke of it as some kind of paradise..


Thoughts:

Infinite Country follows two characters - young Talia, who at the beginning of this book, escapes a girl’s reform school in North Colombia so that she can make her previously booked flight to the US. Before she can do that, she needs to travel many miles to reach her father and get her ticket to the rest of her family. As we follow Talia’s treacherous journey south, we learn about how she ended up in the reform school in the first place and why half her family resides in the US. Infinite Country tells the story of her family through the other protagonist, Elena (Talia’s mother), an undocumented immigrant in the US. Elena and her two older children weren’t always undocumented. She and her husband Mauro arrived in the US for the short term to make some money to fend their growing family. But their decision to ignore exit dates costs them dearly when Mauro is caught one day and then deported.

Infinite Country was one of my last few reads in 2021 and it was a stellar one. It’s short and fast paced and the story is very hard to put down. Trigger warning first though - there is some graphic animal abuse in here and also rape.

I think it's important to say upfront that Infinite Country does not try to change anyone’s beliefs about illegal immigration, undocumented immigrants, deportation, or family separation at the border. Personally, I don't think arguing about these topics will get us anywhere near a suitable solution. But then one can always ask, does the US even need to debate moral opinions when someone is in the country illegally? There are a whole host of opinions on that as well, of course.

Instead, this book shows you what one family goes through when they choose to stay in the US despite their visa expiring and also how some people may try often to come to the US through not very legal means. As I said, the author isn’t trying to change your mind. The circumstances in the book are extremely clear as are the actions of the characters.

The author instead does a great job of getting you interested in this family’s trials and triumphs. To be separated from your family and stay that way for years only to finally meet and not feel like you know them has to be extremely difficult. To be deported and still ask the rest of your family to stay put, knowing there is no way you will be able to get back to the US legally has to be a very difficult decision to make. And yet, we know from countless real-life stories that this happens.

As someone very privileged to have all my family members and friends accounted for, the very idea of separation (even long-term) just so some of your family can have a chance at a decent future was a sobering thought. But the author shows well why they find it harder to stay home. It's not just the great American freedom but is also not wanting your kids to suffer as you did. I loved the book and I appreciated how the author told the story without taking sides. It was hard to not cheer for this family in moments of closeness. 


What is your favorite book about undocumented immigrants?

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