Good Reads / Community Library Notes
Infinite Country
Patricia Engel
Review by Priscilla Comen
Infinite Country
Patricia Engel
Review by Priscilla Comen
Infinite Country, by Patricia Engel, is the story of Talia who is in a prison for youth offenders. She has poured boiling oil over a man who’s killed a cat in the same way. When Talia runs away, she hitches a ride in a truck with an old man. She lies about where she’s going and why. Her father, Mauro, feels bad that he’d made Elena, his wife, and Talia resent their country. Her parents’ generation had been raised with gunfire, executions, explosions, and kidnappings. Yet they had stood it.
Mauro and Elena met at the market place and fell in love. He never told her where he slept nor that he worked digging graves. When Elena has a baby, Karina, they decide to leave Colombia and fly to Texas with their pooled monies. Perla, Elena’s mother, also contributes from her laundry business. In Texas, Mauro finds work and Elena cleans house for the woman upstairs. As their visas expire, they try to decide whether to stay in the U.S. or return to the country they know.
Elena is pregnant again and they must stay until the new baby arrives. They decide Nando is too little to travel and they watch in horror the scenes of 9/11 on the television in their rented room. Author Engel shows the vision the characters have of their future, one based on hope and courage. They remain a family despite their many setbacks.
Meanwhile, Talia, after leaving her truck ride, meets a French man she thinks she can trust. She goes to his room and leaves in early morning with his wallet. Her next ride is on the back of a motorcycle and, as the miles roll by she daydreams of going to an American school and being with her mother and siblings. She hasn’t told the other prison girls she has a ticket to America waiting for her. Her father always said to trust no one, only family. The girls there are almost all murderers.
When Talia is seven her father came more often to Perla’s house and told myths that Perla scoffed at. After Perla dies, Talia saves a seat for her at church and at dinner and waits for her to come back at night.
Later, after Mauro’s visa expires and he’s in a fight in a bar, he’s deported to Colombia. Elena and the children stay in the U.S. but she phones Talia often. Mauro stops drinking and fighting while living at Perla’s house. Elena and the family are forced to move because there are too many living in one small space. They find another available room to share with another family with plenty of food and other adults to look after the children. But the male of the other family sleeps naked and masturbates as Elena shelters her children against the wall. Life is hard for them with many crises and humiliations. Men are often targeted for deportations and the women are left alone.
Perla tells Mauro about Elena’s new job in an Italian restaurant, and living space. He worries about someone else replacing him in her heart. One night the restaurant owner drags her into the closet and pushes her against the wall. He takes her from behind, but she runs away afterward and rides the bus home. Her friend Toya tells her to forget it, that this happens to émigrés all the time.
Elena rents an apartment above a liquor store close to where she cleans houses, a church nearby offers help and sanctuary. She starts at a new job cleaning a large house where she can live in a cottage on the grounds with her children. A better school is available too. She sends Talia back to Colombia to care for Perla who is forgetting things. Talia feeds and bathes her and helps her feel loved and cared for. When Elena chose to stay in the U.S. she knew she’d never see Perla again. One day Perla dies in her sleep with Mauro by her side, as is Talia. Author Engel has each of the children show their younger years, how they are tortured at school by other kids, with threats of deportation.
Later, Talia rides on the motorcycle with Aguja to the next town, and it’s dark. They make a bed under a pedestrian bridge by a river. Her father has told her that river stones are good luck for journeys. She thinks of what will be gained and what will be left when she leaves. Aguja calls his girlfriend to say he’ll be back soon and he loves her. Talia tries to call her father but there’s no answer. Mauro sees he has a missed call when he is at work fixing a light fixture for clients. He wonders where Talia is and prays she is safe. He is lonely for his family with only their names tattooed on his arms. He goes to nightly meetings to keep his vices away.
Aguja delivers Talia to her father’s apartment, but this is no longer home for her. After an evening with her Papa, Talia is off in the morning to the airport. If Talia wants to return to Colombia, Elena must let her; there is no guarantee that one country has more advantages than another. For Talia this has been a difficult time as an immigrant belonging to two countries. But she has had the courage and determination to do it.
Find this excellent novel that shows the truth about immigrant families on the new fiction shelf of your local library.
Mauro and Elena met at the market place and fell in love. He never told her where he slept nor that he worked digging graves. When Elena has a baby, Karina, they decide to leave Colombia and fly to Texas with their pooled monies. Perla, Elena’s mother, also contributes from her laundry business. In Texas, Mauro finds work and Elena cleans house for the woman upstairs. As their visas expire, they try to decide whether to stay in the U.S. or return to the country they know.
Elena is pregnant again and they must stay until the new baby arrives. They decide Nando is too little to travel and they watch in horror the scenes of 9/11 on the television in their rented room. Author Engel shows the vision the characters have of their future, one based on hope and courage. They remain a family despite their many setbacks.
Meanwhile, Talia, after leaving her truck ride, meets a French man she thinks she can trust. She goes to his room and leaves in early morning with his wallet. Her next ride is on the back of a motorcycle and, as the miles roll by she daydreams of going to an American school and being with her mother and siblings. She hasn’t told the other prison girls she has a ticket to America waiting for her. Her father always said to trust no one, only family. The girls there are almost all murderers.
When Talia is seven her father came more often to Perla’s house and told myths that Perla scoffed at. After Perla dies, Talia saves a seat for her at church and at dinner and waits for her to come back at night.
Later, after Mauro’s visa expires and he’s in a fight in a bar, he’s deported to Colombia. Elena and the children stay in the U.S. but she phones Talia often. Mauro stops drinking and fighting while living at Perla’s house. Elena and the family are forced to move because there are too many living in one small space. They find another available room to share with another family with plenty of food and other adults to look after the children. But the male of the other family sleeps naked and masturbates as Elena shelters her children against the wall. Life is hard for them with many crises and humiliations. Men are often targeted for deportations and the women are left alone.
Perla tells Mauro about Elena’s new job in an Italian restaurant, and living space. He worries about someone else replacing him in her heart. One night the restaurant owner drags her into the closet and pushes her against the wall. He takes her from behind, but she runs away afterward and rides the bus home. Her friend Toya tells her to forget it, that this happens to émigrés all the time.
Elena rents an apartment above a liquor store close to where she cleans houses, a church nearby offers help and sanctuary. She starts at a new job cleaning a large house where she can live in a cottage on the grounds with her children. A better school is available too. She sends Talia back to Colombia to care for Perla who is forgetting things. Talia feeds and bathes her and helps her feel loved and cared for. When Elena chose to stay in the U.S. she knew she’d never see Perla again. One day Perla dies in her sleep with Mauro by her side, as is Talia. Author Engel has each of the children show their younger years, how they are tortured at school by other kids, with threats of deportation.
Later, Talia rides on the motorcycle with Aguja to the next town, and it’s dark. They make a bed under a pedestrian bridge by a river. Her father has told her that river stones are good luck for journeys. She thinks of what will be gained and what will be left when she leaves. Aguja calls his girlfriend to say he’ll be back soon and he loves her. Talia tries to call her father but there’s no answer. Mauro sees he has a missed call when he is at work fixing a light fixture for clients. He wonders where Talia is and prays she is safe. He is lonely for his family with only their names tattooed on his arms. He goes to nightly meetings to keep his vices away.
Aguja delivers Talia to her father’s apartment, but this is no longer home for her. After an evening with her Papa, Talia is off in the morning to the airport. If Talia wants to return to Colombia, Elena must let her; there is no guarantee that one country has more advantages than another. For Talia this has been a difficult time as an immigrant belonging to two countries. But she has had the courage and determination to do it.
Find this excellent novel that shows the truth about immigrant families on the new fiction shelf of your local library.