The Faraway World - Patricia Engel - ★★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Patricia Engel

GENRE: Anthology, Latin American Fiction.

RATING: 4.3 Stars.

In a Nutshell: One of the best character-oriented anthologies I have read in a long time. Focussed on Latin-American experiences in their native land and in the US. An emotional medley of sadness and hope.

When I begin any anthology, I like to have an author’s note or a foreword at the start, telling me how the collection came into being and what’s the common theme to the set. This anthology begins directly with the first story. As such, I didn’t know what exactly to expect and had to go with the flow. What I didn’t expect was a gathering of such realistic human experiences, filled in equal measure with happiness and heartbreak, despair and hope, togetherness and loneliness.

The ten stories of this anthology had been previously published in various literary magazines and compiled together for the first time. Each of the stories is thought-provoking in various ways. The themes covered are strong by themselves: immigrant issues, romantic tangles, religious compulsions, employment-related hardships, social standing, and common to all, the quest for a better future, which is fulfilled at times and is given up in others. Because of the dark side of the themes, the tales are quite dark and emotional. More poignant than depressing, I would say.

While the themes are powerful and provide a great reason for you to pick this up, what makes the collection even more impactful is the range of characters and how they are portrayed. Each story has one central character who acts as the lynchpin of the narration. The development of this character is such that whether you like them or hate them, you won’t be able to ignore them. While some of the problems they face seem similar, their circumstances are different and their approach towards a solution is accordingly distinct.

The endings in most stories are good, though not perfectly sealed always.

As the author herself is of Columbian heritage, the stories have the added stamp of OwnVoices authenticity and hence feel more genuine.

There are a few Spanish words in use, but there was no glossary provided. The meanings are only sometimes guessable, so I wish the meanings had been provided either in footnotes or as a separate glossary.

As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the ten stories, only two were 3.5 stars for me. The rest were all either 5 stars or 4.5 stars. ‘Aida’ and ‘Fausto’ were my absolute favourites.

All in all, this is an outstanding collection for sure. My first book by Patricia Engel, and I am curious to try more of her works.

Recommended to those who enjoy literary fiction, as the stories herein are more about knowing the characters than plots.

4.3 stars, based on the average of my ratings for each story.

My thanks to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Faraway World”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.