One of the new books on the Library shelf provides a compelling story of migration, family and their search for the future. Infinite Country, a novel by Patricia Engel, begins with a teen age girl, Talia, who is in a juvenile detention facility in the mountains of Columbia. Her mother and father were undocumented migrants in the United States earlier and then Talia’s father is deported not long after Talia is born. As the story progresses, it is revealed that Talia’s mother makes the difficult decision to send Talia back to Colombia to live with her grandmother because she cannot support three children and herself and also send money home to Colombia. Talia escapes from the detention facility and undertakes a dangerous journey to Bogota where her father has a ticket for her to travel to the United States. Sometimes it is difficult to follow the story line and the author tells the story from the perspective of different characters, but it is worth the effort and is a reminder of the difficult situations that migrants are facing in our country today.
-Nancy Hanaman