A Comprehensive Guide: Infinite Country
Infinite Country by Patricia Engel
Publisher: Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: March 2, 2021
208 pages, 5 hours and 45 minutes
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Book Description
I often wonder if we are living the wrong life in the wrong country.
Talia is being held at a correctional facility for adolescent girls in the forested mountains of Colombia after committing an impulsive act of violence that may or may not have been warranted. She urgently needs to get out and get back home to Bogotá, where her father and a plane ticket to the United States are waiting for her. If she misses her flight, she might also miss her chance to finally be reunited with her family in the north.
How this family came to occupy two different countries, two different worlds, comes into focus like twists of a kaleidoscope. We see Talia’s parents, Mauro and Elena, fall in love in a market stall as teenagers against a backdrop of civil war and social unrest. We see them leave Bogotá with their firstborn, Karina, in pursuit of safety and opportunity in the United States on a temporary visa, and we see the births of two more children, Nando and Talia, on American soil. We witness the decisions and indecisions that lead to Mauro’s deportation and the family’s splintering—the costs they’ve all been living with ever since.
Award-winning, internationally acclaimed author Patricia Engel, herself a dual citizen and the daughter of Colombian immigrants, gives voice to all five family members as they navigate the particulars of their respective circumstances. And all the while, the metronome ticks: Will Talia make it to Bogotá in time? And if she does, can she bring herself to trade the solid facts of her father and life in Colombia for the distant vision of her mother and siblings in America?
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.
Why We Picked This Book: Infinite Country is described as "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." (Simon & Schuster).
When we heard about Patricia Engel's Infinite Country, we knew we had to select it. We're looking forward to jumping into March with an important discussion around familial ties, social unrest, and the weight of immigrating to America.
What to Drink While Reading Infinite Country: Pay homage to some of Colombia's most popular drinks like a rum cocktail, Aguardiente, or Chica.
Best Place to Read Infinite Country: This book is all about home, so find the place that feels the most like home to you!
What to Listen to After Reading Infinite Country: Music makes everything better, so listen to the Infinite Country playlist made by Patricia herself!
Articles to Read after Infinite Country: The New York Times gave a rave review for Infinite Country and Esquire interviewed Patricia Engel, but I love this article from Publishers Weekly about how Infinite Country was published!
