Voor ek oor die oorlogstories skryf, wil ek vertel van ‘n Overberg storie waarvan ek vergeet het, een wat ek al ‘n geruime tyd terug gelees het, maar baie geniet het. Die uitgespoeldes,…
Escape to Cyprus with this stunning novel from the international #1 bestselling author of the Seven Sisters series, Lucinda Riley.
The Cloud Library has come through for me once again, allowing me to easily access and read Infinite Country by Patricia Engel. I made a decision to read more books set in South America, and was excited to see that today's book is even partly set in Colombia, a country I have actually been to. The Situation: Mauro and Elena were teenagers when they met in Colombia, in a time when the country was wrecked by violence, political unrest, and a wilting economy. Even so, they fall in love and even start a family, though it becomes clear that they may want to search for a better future up north, both for them and the children they hope to raise. While life in the US proves to be tough, Mauro and Elena both agree to stay past their visa expiration dates, though such a decision may be even more dangerous than a return to their home country, especially for their son, who is born in the US and therefore a citizen. Should his parents and older sister be deported, who will take care of him when he is left behind? It is after their growing family welcomes its third child that the unthinkable does happen, and Mauro is deported alone. Once again, the couple makes a crucial decision and decides that Talia, the youngest, will also go back to Colombia to live with Maura, and Elena's mother, Perla. It is a decision meant to help the family stay together, but could also splinter it even further. The Problem: When Talia is 15 years old, she is sent to a facility for young girls who have gotten in trouble with the law. Having never caused any trouble all of her life, it comes as a surprise to both Mauro and Perla when Talia is arrested for hurting a coworker, putting in jeopardy her planned departure to the US to rejoin her mother and older siblings. Back in the US, Elena struggles to raise two children, one a citizen and one not, on her own. When Mauro was with them, things were already difficult, and the difficulties continue as Elena navigates life as an undocumented mother doing her best to make things work. And while she is glad her youngest is in Colombia with her husband, she misses Talia and looks forward to the day when she will return to her. Every member of the family must reconcile how they feel about both Colombia and the US, and their place in each one. Genre, Themes, History: This is a fiction novel set partly in Colombia, and partly in the US, as the reader follows the family on their journey across state boarders as they chase stability and security. Beginning when Mauro and Elena are teenagers, the story moves through the family's early struggles, and continues into the presidency of Donald Trump, though it does not say so specifically. Key points in history are named and described, allowing the reader to piece together the year and season. For the most part, the book is told by a third-person omniscient narrator - switching between Elena's story in the US, and Mauro's story in Colombia - with only a handful of chapters focusing specifically on events as Talia's older siblings see them. With three members of the family being born in Colombia, and two being born in the US, the family is already split in a way, and then the chasm becomes deeper once Mauro is deported and Talia joins him. It is a complicated situation where hard choices must be made, and it is never clear if Elena and Mauro did the right thing. My Verdict: Though the book jumps around through time, and the narrator is sometimes third-person, and sometimes one member of the family, the overall story is fairly easy to follow. Even after the family becomes split between Colombia and the US, it is easy to track the experiences and struggles of both groups, though their situation is incredibly complicated. Engel somehow handles Elena's constant struggle over whether staying in the US was worth it with incredible ease. And Mauro must deal with the separation from his wife and older children, as well as Talia's arrest. Possibly what amazes me the most about this book is that it is less than 200 pages, and yet it contains so much: exploring family dynamics, what it means to call a country your home, the issue of citizenship, and of course, the power of love when attempting to hold everything together while miles apart. Engel takes a situation that is anything but simple and makes it easy to understand, while not removing its complexity. Favorite Moment: Talia's escape from the prison for girls is pretty genius. Favorite Character: Talia's determination to travel through Colombia to make it back to her father is certainly impressive. There is plenty of opportunity for things to go horribly wrong, but she stays resolute in her mission. Recommended Reading: There is something about Engel's writing that reminded me of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
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\"Emily is having the time of her life--she's in the mountains of Chile with her best friend, Kristen, on their annual reunion trip, and the women are feeling closer than ever. But on the last night of their trip, Emily enters their hotel suite to find blood and broken glass on the floor. Kristen says the cute backpacker she'd been flirting with attacked her, and she had no choice but to kill him in self-defense. Even more shocking: The scene is horrifyingly similar to last year's trip, when another backpacker wound up dead. Emily can't believe it's happened again--can lightning really strike twice? Back home in Wisconsin, Emily struggles to bury her trauma, diving head-first into a new relationship and throwing herself into work. But when Kristen shows up for a surprise visit, Emily is forced to to confront their violent past. The more Kristen tries to keep Emily close, the more Emily questions her friend's motives. As Emily feels the walls closing in on their coverups, she must reckon with the truth about her closest friend. Can she outrun the secrets she shares with Kristen, or will they destroy her relationship, her freedom--even her life?\"--\nNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK - \"This book is every suspense lover's dream and it kept me up way too late turning pages. . . . A novel with crazy twists and turns that will have you ditching your Friday night plans for more chapters.\"--Reese Witherspoon A backpacking trip has deadly consequences in this \"eerie psychological thriller . . . with alluring locales, Hitchcockian tension, and possibly the best pair of female leads since Thelma and Louise\" (BookPage), from the bestselling author of The Lost Night and The Herd. A Marie Claire Book Club Pick - Named One of the Best Books of the Year by NPR and Marie Claire Emily is having the time of her life--she's in the mountains of Chile with her best friend, Kristen, on their annual reunion trip, and the women are feeling closer than ever. But on the last night of the trip, Emily enters their hotel suite to find blood and broken glass on the floor. Kristen says the cute backpacker she brought back to their room attacked her, and she had no choice but to kill him in self-defense. Even more shocking: The scene is horrifyingly similar to last year's trip, when another backpacker wound up dead. Emily can't believe it's happened again--can lightning really strike twice? Back home in Wisconsin, Emily struggles to bury her trauma, diving headfirst into a new relationship and throwing herself into work. But when Kristen shows up for a surprise visit, Emily is forced to confront their violent past. The more Kristen tries to keep Emily close, the more Emily questions her motives. As Emily feels the walls closing in on their cover-ups, she must reckon with the truth about her closest friend. Can Emily outrun the secrets she shares with Kristen, or will they destroy her relationship, her freedom--even her life?
This book is an absolute gem among mystery novels. Its twist ending is one of the best in this genre and will make you go screaming from the roof of your house about how you could miss it. I read it a few years ago and still recommend it to everyone who shows even a passing interest in books.—Harshit Vatsyayan
Rose Mae Lolley's mother disappeared when she was eight, leaving Rose with a heap of old novels and a taste for dangerous men. Now, as demure Mrs. Ro Grandee, she's living the very life her mother abandoned. She's all but forgotten the girl she used to be-teenaged spitfire, Alabama heartbreaker, and
23 of the best books of 2019: highly anticipated novels, non-fiction and guides to life, from the likes of Anna Newton, Oprah Winfrey and Ian McEwan.
Book Review in March: Grown Ups by Marian Keyes. Released on 20/02/2020 with Penguin Books Ltd. Marian Keyes is one of these aut...
