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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
pi_a_la_mode's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
3.75
A must-read for Filipinos everywhere. Alvar’s stories made me feel connected to my heritage in a way that I haven’t felt before through literature. My top 2 picks from the collection: “Old Girl” and “A Contract Overseas”
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death and Infidelity
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