Book of the Month: "Infinite Country" by Patricia Engel
Infinite Country: A Novel by Patricia Engel is a work of literary fiction expected to be released on Mar. 2, 2021. In the novel, Talia is being held at a correctional facility for adolescent girls in Colombia for dumping hot oil on a coworker after witnessing him murder a cat with steam. She desperately needs to return to the capital, Bogotá, so that she can catch her flight to the United States to be reunited with her mother and two siblings.
Readers witness Talia’s parents, Elena and Mauro, fall in love for the first time and move to an unknown land of limitless opportunity and perceived safety with their newborn daughter, Karina, on temporary visas. The expiration date passes, and they have two native-born children, Nando and Talia.
When Mauro is deported and Talia returns to Columbia, their family is splintered and they reflect on their decisions and indecisions. Infinite Country: A Novel raises questions about family, belonging, freedom, offering an intimate perspective on a reality that at least 2,654 immigrant children during Trump’s administration alone endured.
Without giving away too much, Infinite Country: A Novel starts in medias res. The excitement doesn’t stop at the first chapter either; it was a page-turner that with complex characters that commanded the reader’s empathy. Every time I had to put the novel down, I felt as though I left my characters where they were; Elena wondering if Mauro would visit her at her mother’s lavandería, Talia sleeping at a stranger’s house on her way to Bogotá, Mauro’s struggle with his addiction to alcohol.
Top 5 Quotes:
“What was it about [America] that kept everyone hostage in its fantasy?”
“The assigned status wants you to think of the US government as another kind of parent. The one who rejects you for its preferred child.”
“I remember wondering what it must feel like to belong to American whiteness and to know you can do whatever you want.”
“‘You can’t see what’s ahead if you keep looking in the rearview mirror.’”
“That night I thought about how love comes paired with failures, apologies for deficiencies. The only remedy is compassion.”
