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dlrosebyh's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
As a Filipino, I can understand why Filipinos praise this book. Yes, it’s relatable. Yes, it’s written beautifully. But for me, I don’t think it’s the perfect short story collection.
Short stories for me, personally, are a 50/50. I either love or hate it. In The Country consists of nine short stories about different Filipino dynamics such as families with members who are suffering from drug addiction, OFWs, etc. The thing about this collection is that if I don’t find the story relatable or interesting, I just simply don’t care. I have a natural instinct of wanting to move on because it’s ‘only short’. And I do admit that I am a red flag for that.
What I did love about this book, though, is the fact that the voices are so distinct from each other. You can feel the joy, the sorrow, the angst, of the characters you’re following. In short story collections, there’s a tendency that characters are too similar to each other because short story collections (normally) follow one theme. But that was not the case for Alvar. And I absolutely loved the way she wrote her characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Child abuse
Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, and Infidelity
dominic_t's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a series of short stories, so it was hard to give the book as a whole a rating. Some of the stories were really awesome, and others just didn't land with me. A lot of the characters aren't very likeable, and I prefer stories with likeable character. Here are my ratings for the stories:
The Kontrabida: 2. I didn't like this one and almost put the book down.
The Miracle Worker: 3.5. She did a good job creating unsympathetic characters that were still compelling.
Legends of the White Lady: 5. This story is fantastic. The main character's voice shines through, and her grief feels so real. Really vivid descriptions.
Shadow Families: 5. Another really compelling story. It's a really interesting look into community dynamics.
The Virgin of Monte Ramon: 4. It was hard to read at some points because of how much some of the characters were suffering. Really well-written characters.
Esmeralda: 4.5. Beautiful story. Very vivid descriptions. Great job using flashbacks.
Old Girl: 3. It was fine. The description of the dynamic of the married couple was pretty well done.
A Contract Overseas: 4.5. Another great story that really developed the characters well. The ending wasn't predictable, but really fit within the established characterizations.
In the Country: 2. It was okay, but it was very long. It was hard to get through because it really didn't hold my interest.
The Kontrabida: 2. I didn't like this one and almost put the book down.
The Miracle Worker: 3.5. She did a good job creating unsympathetic characters that were still compelling.
Legends of the White Lady: 5. This story is fantastic. The main character's voice shines through, and her grief feels so real. Really vivid descriptions.
Shadow Families: 5. Another really compelling story. It's a really interesting look into community dynamics.
The Virgin of Monte Ramon: 4. It was hard to read at some points because of how much some of the characters were suffering. Really well-written characters.
Esmeralda: 4.5. Beautiful story. Very vivid descriptions. Great job using flashbacks.
Old Girl: 3. It was fine. The description of the dynamic of the married couple was pretty well done.
A Contract Overseas: 4.5. Another great story that really developed the characters well. The ending wasn't predictable, but really fit within the established characterizations.
In the Country: 2. It was okay, but it was very long. It was hard to get through because it really didn't hold my interest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Child death
Moderate: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use