INFINITE COUNTY has been one of my most highly-anticipated reads for 2021 and it definitely did not disappoint! Patricia Engel's writing continues to be extremely impactful and I find myself reading and rereading passages over and over again because they just hit me like a ton of bricks. This story is both beautiful and heartbreaking; I sobbed a couple of times and felt like I'd been transported into the world of these characters.

What an incredible novel! INFINITE COUNTRY is short but packs a huge punch -- it's full of heart, family, and the struggles of immigrant families in America. Engel's writing is both gorgeous and powerful, and I am amazing by what she has done in such a short amount of pages. We follow a family from Colombia in the early 2000s as they try, in many different cities in the US, to build a family and find work. Risk of deportation looms over everything they do and tragedy strikes when one simple, little thing goes wrong. As we jump back and forth through time, and learn about the family through the eyes of the 3 children, the seemingly simple story of a family searching for the American Dream becomes so much more. Plus, the ending is fantastic and makes the book for me. This is a book that needs to be read.

I jumped at the chance to read this because of the gorgeous cover. I knew nothing about it, but the content turned out to be just as amazing as the cover.

This story is an important one. Though it’s a work of fiction, the history and truth it draws from are pertinent. Often, all we hear is propaganda about places like Columbia. We are desensitized to the suffering of others, the people are dehumanized, and we can’t see past the horrors the media/gov’t feeds us. We forget they are actual people, actual communities. Patricia Engel reminds us of that.

As an Indigenous person from the north, I know little about Indigeneity in South America- Columbia in this case. It was astonishing to read about. My best friend is Columbian and I didn’t really know what that meant or the intergenerational trauma she deals with. Infinite Country taught me a whole lot. I implore others to learn more about Indigenous folx from the south.

This novel is a tough read. The truths are hard. But there is also good. There is love and there is hope. The incorporation of myths, legends, and language from Colombia makes it all that much more special.

Powerful, moving, insightful – easy to run out of terms to describe this story of migration and displacement, of a family torn apart in their efforts to make a better life for their children. Escaping poverty and lack of opportunity in Colombia they manage to get to the US, where they find not only more poverty and a similar lack of opportunity, but where their undocumented status leads to deportation. Each of the five main characters has their voice in turn and we share in their fears, worries and predicaments. It’s a novel of great emotion but one that remains balanced and never descends into melodrama. Throughout their fractured life they all remain dignified, resilient and strong and the reader roots for them throughout. The novel is well-written and well-paced, and the ending is not predictable. A wonderful evocation of the life of migrants and especially of a mixed-status family and a novel that enhanced my understanding of what it’s like to be undocumented in a country that makes it so difficult just to survive.

Infinite Country tells the story of a Colombian family, divided between two homes — one in America and one in Colombia. Patricia Engel’s exquisite writing had me hooked within the first page and I was drawn into the lives of the Mauro, Elena, and their children, as they navigate being immigrants and finding where they belong. This book opened up my eyes to many struggles of immigrants to America that I had not thought of before and I’m so grateful to have had the chance to read these remarkable words.

Infinite Country in a moving and heartbreaking novel about the journey of a family cross-border into the United States. I enjoyed the multiplicity of voices from different characters as they grappled with what life is like not only as a migrant, but as someone who looks different than the white America of the US.

Written works like this are important in that they share the migrant experience—such works show the humanity of the individuals (migrants & families) that government bills and political rhetoric label and treat as undesirables.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of Infinite Country. I loved the author’s writing style and will be excitedly awaiting whatever she writes in the future. 4.5/5 stars for Infinite Country!

Trigger warnings include animal abuse, violence, and rape, as well as the death of a parent.

Thank you to Net Galley and Avid Reader Press for the eARC.

Infinite Country is a simply, but poetically written short, but impactful tale of day to day life for a Colombian family navigating what it means to be undocumented immigrants in the United States.

Patricia Engel tackles thoughts on the justice system, family separation, loyalty, poverty, and basic human rights in such a subtle, beautiful way that the reader doesn’t quite know what hit them until after the last page.

Pick this one up for a lesson in empathy and not judging a situation for what it appears to be on the surface, amongst so many other reasons.

"Infinite Country" by Patricia Engel felt like an important read to me more than anything. It beautifully illustrates the difficulties and complexities of fleeing one's country and starting anew in foreign land. While some used to reading fast-paced thrillers may not enjoy the speed of this novel, I found it very compelling.

The story flash backed between the parents early years-how they met, how they fell in love, and their journey from Colombia to America. I found these parts interesting and they were very important details. I respected the fact that the author showed readers just how hard it is adapting to a new life in a foreign country, especially when you are undocumented. I feel like there are too many Americans that just believe once people come here, they are lucky. No, it is a hard, hard transition.

Hearing from the perspective of all 3 children was interesting--both the two in America and the one who grew up in Colombia. It showed that growing up in both countries had its challenges and benefits.

I think this book should be one that is read in classrooms all across America to help students have more empathy for what many of Americans, and even their classmates, have went through or are going through.

I received an ARC of "Infinite Country" from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Infinite Country is about a family that is separated by borders and by immigration status. Mauro and Elena came to America to get away from political turmoil and to make money to send back to Elena’s mother in Columbia. They moved throughout the country seeing safe housing and work. Many times they had to pack and leave in a hurry based on the rumors of immigration seeking people in the country illegally.

Mauro gets deported and is living with Talia in Colombia. Elena is struggling to live in the United States with their two other children, Nando and Karina. Talia snaps and gets sent to a boarding school for deliquent girls, but escapes with the plan to fly back to American to be with her mother.

The writing is stunning! I couldn't put it down. The story is very compelling and extremely relatable to how many immigrant families are living in America. This is a story that will stay with you for a very long time.

This is a really short book that packs a great punch!

Thank you to the Avon Reader Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A haunting and far too relevant take on our sad excuse for an immigration policy. Lyrical writing, brilliant characterization, and well-constructed plot combine for one of the best books I've read this year. The addition of new POV characters in the last third of the book was a little jarring at first but eventually makes its case for inclusion.

What a book – important, impactful, and absolutely a must read. Infinite Country is a multi generational family story about a Colombian family with mixed citizenship status. The story unfolds through the different family members viewpoints and different time periods. This short book packs a punch. Everyone should read this book – truly an amazing read. There is hope and sorrow that will resonate with all those who leave someone behind.

I came to Infinite Country knowing that I would be in for an emotional ride, but I was pleased to find that the emotions it evoked led to greater understanding and care for those that find themselves 'between countries'. This book is written with such care and consideration that I found myself lingering over passages amazed at the soulfulness in each and everyone of the words. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a story that will transport you to not only another place, but another way of looking at the world.

Wow! This story gripped me from the beginning and left me with a heartache, but also hopeful. It is an important book everyone should read. It is beautifully written and page turning story that shows the story that many families experience today. Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy

A vital immigrant tale that's elegantly written and beautiful in its concision and construction. Engel, with a mere 200 pages, captures not only the experience of this family, but so many families who've struggled to make America home in recent years.

This book was truly beautiful. It's looking at the lives of a family of undocumented immigrants, and the trouble they have to go through trying to keep their family together. I have always felt that borders, and the rules required to move across them are bizarre and this book reinforces that. Talia's parents moved to the US when her oldest sister Karina was a young child. They then have two children born in the US, who thus automatically become US citizens. When Mauro (the father) becomes deported back to Colombia, Talia is sent back too, to allow Elena (the mother) to work. Thus Karina becomes an undocumented American, who can barely remember her mother country, but is liable to be deported at any time, whilst Talia is a US citizen with no memory of the country, but who knows that she will always be able to travel there.

When the book start, Talia is in a home or wayward youth, as punishment for committing an act of violence. She desperately needs to make her way home to the capital, so that she's able to travel to the US on the plane ticket her mother has bought. Once she escapes, she might never be able to return to Columbia as she is essentially a criminal on the run. Thus her situation becomes a cruel mirror of her mother's and sisters, with any visit back to Columbia will be on a one way ticket only.

I can only recommend that you read this. And when you've read this, read the Undocumented Americans for more of the same kind of madness and absolute unfairness.

I was a little unsure about this one going into it, but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit! The story is haunting and riveting. Once I got into it, it was hard to put down because I became quite invested in finding out how the story would turn out. I will admit, I did struggle some with the writing style, especially the few switches into first person which I felt did pull me out of the story. Even with that, this is a book I would definitely recommend, especially as an alternative to American Dirt.

Prizewinning author Patricia Engel explores themes of family separation and immigration in her new novel Infinite Country. The main character, Talia, 15, grows up with her maternal grandmother, Perla, and father, Mauro, in Bogotá, Columbia. Talia’s mom, Elena, and siblings live in New Jersey. This emotional territory is likely to resonate with any reader who has ever been separated from loved ones.

Engel, whose parents were born in Colombia, flavors the text with occasional Spanish words. It feels as if the limits of one language are not enough to tell this story. In some places, the prose is fragmented, almost poetic in tone and imagery. The storytelling, including backstory about family members and indigenous legends, is captivating throughout. There are so many themes and ideas here that will be provocative for book club and classroom discussions.

People cross borders seeking a better life. Family separation and reunification is complicated. In this historic moment, humans everywhere struggle to redefine “home”, “family” and “community”. Literature like Infinite Country helps light the way.

Infinite Country is beautiful written and shares a story that must be told of the separation of families who for a better life. Talia living in Colombia with her father escapes a prison school trying to make her way back to America and start the reunification process with her mother, brother and sister. Her mother and father have been separated for 15 years but their love is still bound to each other. Muisca folklore woven in between the pages makes this book a magical and delightful read.

I read fiction to expand my word view and cultivate empathy, this book does this perfectly. While I had some issues with pacing, I still think everyone should read this book!

INFINITE COUNTRY• Patricia Engel • Pub Date: March 2, 2021 • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Compassion. That is what this book gave to me. Levels of compassion for a life I cannot understand. In return, I gave this book tears; tears that welled up during the book’s final chapter as I took a moment to acknowledge that while this was a happy ending, it was not truly an ending. And while this story culminated in reunification, so many others do not.

I am limited in what I can say on the message of this book because of my job, but I can say that this book impacted me. It has not just colored my perspective, but it will also change my attitude and actions moving forward.

This is why I read. To learn. To grow. To change. To help make the world a better place, one small step at a time.

For those curious, I rate this book five stars not only because of the way it made me feel, but also because this book is objectively “good”. The writing, fantastic. The storytelling, excellent. This book will hold your attention because it is objectively good, and it will make you feel something because it is also great.

{Trigger Warnings: Sexual assault/battery, death, illness (Alzheimer’s), deportation, alcoholism, etc.}