Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Infinite Country by Patricia Engel

17 reviews

theblushbookworm's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Short but packs a powerful punch. Infinite Country is the story  of a family separated by immigration and deportation trying to reunite. As daughter Talia navigates the trials of leaving Colombia to return to where she was born in America, we hear the perspectives of her parents, Mauro and Elena, as they navigated their own emigration many years before. This novel is raw in its illustration of what U.S. immigration law does to families and is worth a read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Deportation, Rape, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Addiction and Grief

Minor: Gun violence

sorcha's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape

Moderate: Abandonment, Racism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Deportation

Minor: Dementia, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and War

loryyyy's review

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation and Xenophobia

Moderate: Addiction, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Racial slurs

Minor: Mass/school shootings and Suicide

greatu's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Dementia, Gun violence, Racism, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent

serena_storybook's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, and Violence

Minor: Bullying and Xenophobia

annieliz's review

emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Colonisation, and Grief

jaynovara's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Violence, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy

Minor: Addiction and Police brutality

caseythereader's review

adventurous emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and War

Moderate: Confinement, Police brutality, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

jadejesus18's review

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, and Addiction

Moderate: Xenophobia

Minor: Domestic abuse and Panic attacks/disorders

bobbijopmh's review

challenging emotional informative fast-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

4.0

This is a pretty short and fast-paced read. It tells the story of a Colombian couple, and their children—some born in the US— and the effects of immigration policies that allow families to be detained, separated by borders. Don't let the short length and fast pace fool you though. There is a lot going on here.

I also really enjoyed the inclusion of Columbian folklore interwoven with the contemporary plot. 

It is a story that is both universal to our human experience and relationships, but also very specific to the Columbian immigrant's experience, which has the intended effect of humanising the experience of a group which our politicians and media largely try to dehumanise, in order for us to feel okay about the way they are treated.

Highly recommended read, though I would have liked a little more length, and the perspective shifts can be a little jarring at times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, and Addiction