Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

3.5 rounded up

This was a quick book that gave you a more behind the curtain look at what it's like for families that have, or are trying to, immigrate to America. This novel spans 15 years. From first love, to first child, to moving across the country and having half your family be citizens, while the other half is not. It's not a happy story, nor a sad story, but it is eye opening and I did enjoy it.

This came across as detached and distant as the narrative switched from third to first. The first chapter was very intriguing as Talia escapes from a juvenile detention center, but I soon found one character blending into one another and I can't really describe what happened after that. There were far too many long winded complaints for me to remember what was going on. I wanted to put this book down so many times and now I regret not doing so.

This book was excellent! I enjoyed everything about it - from the language, to the characters, to the story. I didn't want the book to end, but alas, all books must end. The characters were very relatable and I wanted to get to know them more. Spend more time with them. That is always the markings of a good book. I will definitely be reading more from Patricia Engel!

I really loved this beautiful story about family, loss, hope, & love. To me this story is all about what is home. What does it mean when we leave the place we’ve always known to be home? How do we find home again? Is home a place?

As a suburban white woman, I don’t have experience with the immigrant experience of coming to this country and I have not been to Columbia. I have no background that speaks to the experiences of these characters. But I love a complicated family story & this certainly was that. The husband and wife at the center of this story, Elena & Mauro, have to make really difficult decisions to keep their family safe, but also to create a future for them. As reader, I wanted them to make different decisions at times, but the author also puts you in their heads so well that I could also understand why they made those decisions.

It was heartbreaking & beautiful & I just wanted this family to find peace and happiness.

Talia is the 15-year-old girl main protagonist and as the novel opens she is in a juvenile detention center somewhere in a remote part of the Colombian countryside. She is desperate to get out of the detention center and make her way to Bogota to her father and to the plane ticket he has waiting for her to get to the U.S. and be reunited with her family.

Her journey is treacherous but along the way she meets people who will offer her rides and help her in other ways to get to Bogota. As the story unfolds we learn why she was in the detention center to begin with and about the love story of her parents. Mauro and Elena who had dreams of going to the North and a better future but that no one prepared them for the difficulties ahead and some of the very difficult choices they have to make.

How does a parent decide one child stays in one country and another child in a different country? What happens you have to rely on strangers to keep you safe and they betray you? And, in the end are the sacrifices you make for your parents and your children worth it?

I loved the description of Colombia and the weaving of Colombian myths into the storyline. It’s a book with some violence and as Talia is making her way across the country I felt on edge expecting dangers at every turn because let’s not forget, she is a 15 year-old with no money and wanted by the law. But she is fierce and resilient.

This is a definite keeper for me. It raised a lot of emotions for me and made me think about the very real families who have to make difficult choices like these. I highly recommend it.

I truly loved this book. it's hard to explain outside of the language, the story just being delicious. Such a strange word for it, but one I use for some of the best books, the ones that shock me with strange beauty I cannot turn away from, although not nearly as regretful as when I eat too much when I'm starving. This is the sort of book I didn't know I wanted, but was so delighted in it, and so thankful for the author. A beautiful experience for anyone needing to escape, and find comfort in words and story.

Wow, talk about packing a literary punch, Infinite Country, an own voices novel, told an engrossing, timely, emotionally fraught story in under 200 pages! But I’ll be honest, I would’ve loved reading more as I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these characters

The author, Patricia Engel, did an incredible job of helping me, a reader who has never been to Columbia and has never had to experience life as an immigrant coming to the US, to see, feel and experience the city of Bogota and the lives of Mauro, Elena, and their family as their dreams of having opportunities in the US were thwarted at every turn. I felt such empathy for all the characters and I was constantly challenged to examine my thoughts and beliefs about immigration and our policies here in the US. I felt anger, sadness, frustration, throughout but I also felt hope for these characters I had come to love and respect. I still think about them and that certainly goes to Patricia Engel and her fantastic storytelling. Highly recommended!

Engel's writing is absolutely gorgeous, and I'm impressed that she managed to create such an impactful story in so few pages. The story of this family encompasses so much—stories from Mauro and Elena's youth, to their children growing up, all amidst the instability of immigration and undocumented life in the United States. I enjoyed getting to know each family member, though I think the inclusion of Katrina's first-person pov towards the latter half of the book was quite jarring. I think the flow between the initial introduction of her perspective and the rest of the novel could have been better. But after I got over that and figured out how each first-person chapter worked, I appreciated the point of view that they provided. I think they really helped flesh out the narrative and provide a complete picture of this family.

Definitely looking forward to what Engel writes next!

One of the biggest literary turnoffs for me is when an author is trying so hard to move you with their flowery writing but actually fails to do so. It's like a one-two punch of bad writing: not only do you get "moving" writing that isn't actually moving, but you can also just sense how desperately laboured the author's attempts are at manufacturing that supposedly moving writing. And this is exactly my problem with Infinite Country: I could immediately tell that it was trying to achieve something that it just didn't end up achieving; it tried to be poignant, but it completely missed the mark. The characters are a big part of this problem, namely because they had no personality whatsoever. They were just people who reacted to things happening to them and moved the plot along. Never did I get a sense of what made them unique, or distinguished them in any way. And honestly, it sucks to have to write a negative review of an author whose previous novel, The Veins of the Ocean, I absolutely loved. Where The Veins of the Ocean did everything right, Infinite Country did not.

I really liked the narration of this book - the writing style was great and engaging. It was a quick read but still quite heavy, but didn't need to be longer than it was. Engel doesn't dwell on suffering, just presented it for what it is. I liked the distinct voice of the dual timeline narratives that merged into one.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.

This is a short but powerful novel about a family divided between Colombia and The United States. This seemed like a very realistic portrait of immigration - the mixed feelings, stumbling blocks, acts of fate and the hard paths taken. The characters were very well drawn and almost felt real to me. I didn’t love the multiple narrator.s. It didn’t bother me at the beginning, but as more voices were added I felt it took away from the story.

Overall a lovely book much deserving of praise!

This book is beautiful and really explores the depths of family and belonging. There is definitely commentary on our current approach to immigration and how that impacts real people and their lives. It is a thought provoking and moving story.

Infinite Country tells the story of Elena and Mauro and their children, who are an immigrant family caught between the worlds of Colombia and the United States. The story opens with a narrative following their eldest daughter, Talia, then a young woman who broke free from a reform school where she was placed as a result of a moment of violence spurred by righteous indignation. Soon, the returns to the story of how Elena and Mauro met in Colombia and travelled to Texas to seek a better life. Patricia Engel conveys the stories of Infinite Country’s central characters, their lives, and their experiences in Colombia and the United States with great nuance and sensitivity.

When Mauro and Elena leave for Texas, they imagine that they will only be there for a matter of months. After all, their visas are both for only six months, expiring at different times. Elena feels lonely with their new baby, while Mauro works hard all day long. They are ready to decide that, as they are seen as foreigners in Texas, they would rather go home, when news of Elena’s second pregnancy changes things for them. We learn of their life moving from one place to another in Texas. One unfortunate evening, however, something happens to Mauro which changes their fate.

Patricia Engel beautifully details the complexities of immigration, particularly when family members do not all have documentation or citizenship. She describes the inner turmoil involved when Mauro and Elena must decide what to do after their visas have expired, fearing that a trip across the ocean might not be good for their new and their soon to be born babies. They must wrestle with questions of whether to try to stay. They must also wrestle with questions of how they can stay and what it would be like to stay, given the hard realities and possibilities for most other undocumented individuals such as themselves. As readers, we feel for their struggle and the difficulty of their decision. Engel also thoughtfully describes the complexities and difficulties connected with trying to stay in the United States when their visas have expired. The story later delves into Talia, Mauro, and Elena’s stories once Mauro returns to Colombia and reconnects with his mother-in-law and daughter Talia. All of them must deal with the confusion and pain of separation. Elena must wrestle with what to do with her children and what to do herself once left behind in the United States. Later, we continue to follow the story of the family once they have been separated and live their lives in different places.

Infinite Country is beautifully written, with tight and richly descriptive prose showcasing each of the characters’ emotions as they go through their journey. Engel describes the characters’ experiences in terms of their homes and countries, their adventures, and their relationships with great sensitivity. The novel is made richer by its many allusions to mystical elements that are a part of Colombian culture. Engel seamlessly weaves almost magical or spiritual sounding beliefs into the characters’ stories and this adds to the beauty of the narrative.

Although Infinite Country is a smart and beautifully written book, there is some sense of distance from the central characters and the action in Engel’s writing. Some readers may appreciate that distance, however, at some may feel it detracts from the level of emotion that could otherwise to be conveyed in such a compelling story.

Infinite Country richly describes the complexities of the experience of undocumented immigrants, and families that become separated as a result of that experience. Patricia Engels beautifully writes of the perspectives of each family member and shows us how they experience life in a family that has become separated, and in the country where they are making their home. This is a nuanced and sensitive portrayal of a family’s experience, and one well worth reading.

A beautiful novel about one family’s story of immigration from Colombia to the US, a quick read, we move from Talia's parents' courtship to their emigration to their forced split. We see over time their struggle to survive as individuals, and as a family. Emotional and drawing on present day policies that exist today.

This family makes you feel hard for the immigrant experience in the US. I was drawn into this book from the very first line, and then it slowed down quite a bit for me. Definitely more character-driven.

4.5/5

cw: rape and sexual assault, violence to animals, substance abuse

“I’ve had borders drawn around me all my life, but I refuse to live as a bordered person. I hate the term undocumented. It implies people like my mother and me don’t exist without a paper trail. I have a drawer full of diaries and letters I never sent to my grandmother, my father, even to my younger sister that will prove to anyone that I am very real, most definitely documented...Don’t tell me I’m undocumented when my name is tattooed on my father’s arm.”

Elena and Mauro are young lovers in Columbia. They begin their family, which will eventually grow to five, and make the decision to go to the US. We hear the stories of both Elena and Mauro separately and together as they both face how to live in this land which treats them with such hostility. This is a story about parents who fiercely love their children.

This is a story of pain and separation and the trauma caused by borders and conquering powers. We follow fifteen year old Talia, Elena and Mauro’s youngest daughter who was born in the US and grew up in Columbia, raised by her grandmother and eventually her father who has struggled with alcohol abuse. Talia is trying to escape an all girls prison and make it back to her dad in time for her flight to the US where she will meet her mom and siblings for the first time in person since she was a baby. We travel with Talia as she remembers her father and grandmothers stories of Columbia, the land and gods who inhabit it.

This book shows you so much hope and love while also laying bare the fear and anxiety and danger of how the US treats those it has deemed “undocumented.” Those who come to this country for safety and opportunity but are given neither. I thought that while the multiple perspectives were sometimes a little confusing, the interweaving of this family’s history was expertly told and suffused with the magic of Mauro’s stories.

ARC provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

I was so excited to receive a digital ARC of Infinite Country!! I have seen this one all over and could not wait to read it for myself! I absolutely loved this book. Engel immediately hooked me in and I was able to finish it in just a few sit downs. I loved how the story was told in both the past and present, and the reader was able to sympathize with multiple characters. Thank you Netgalley for this digital ARC!

This book was such an important read. I'm very happy to have read it. I rated it 4 stars because although it was such a short book, the story crawled for me. I felt like since it was written from the point of view of Karina retelling her parent's story, it felt emotionally detached and I wish we couldn't gotten to know the characters more deeply. If there was more dialogue, this would've been an easier read as well.

I absolutely loved the ending. It was so sweet how the family fell back into place and proved that geography cannot keep a family who loves each other apart. I can't believe neither Mauro or Elena dated other people over those 15 years!

Overall this was a heartwarming, yet trying story about family. I would recommend this book to many people.

“It was her idea to tie up the nun.” And with that opening sentence, I was hooked.

Engel is at the height of her craft in this stunning story that follows a Columbian family forced to make incredibly difficult choices; ultimately leading them to live separate lives in different countries. “Elena sent Talia back to live with Perla with the idea that she would raise the baby for a little while until Elena could send for her return. When you leave one country for another, nobody tells you years will bleed together like rain on newsprint.” There is a lot packed into this slim novel - years pass over the span of a few pages, but I was completely invested in Talia, her family, and their journeys to reunite with each other. Talia’s jailbreak grabbed me immediately and the way her father weaved mythical stories and symbolism in his tales to her sent me down the research rabbit hole after I finished the book.

I will say that I found the switch from the third person to first person narration towards the end to be a bit abrupt. However, I could have read another two hundred pages told from the perspectives of Karina and Nando since it was such a brief introduction to their points of view. The writing is absolutely gorgeous and I found myself highlighting quotes on almost every single page. Thank you so much to Avid Reader Press for the advanced copy.

Infinite Country is an impactful and heart-wrenching story of an immigrant family and their struggles in the US. Many of the themes are triggering but I appreciated the POV and insight. It was very mind opening.

Thank you to Netgalley for sending an ARC for review.