The Faraway World: Stories (2024)

( Avg. Rating: 4.25; Audio Narration: 4.5)

“Survival requires different things of different people.”
The Faraway World: Stories by Patricia Engel is a compilation of ten previously published short stories that are set across Cuba, Colombia, and the United States. The stories touch upon themes of love, friendship, family, loss, regret, and class distinction among others. A running theme in these stories is the emotional connection or lack thereof to one’s homeland and/or one’s adopted country focusing on scenarios on both sides of the immigrant experience - those who stay and those who leave – motivated by fear, hopes, dreams, ambition, love, and/or security. We meet characters who remain tied to their roots for the sake of family, sentimental reasons or a dearth of opportunity. We also meet characters who are motivated to emigrate in search of a more rewarding life, in search of wealth, love and/or security.

What are the emotional /psychological costs of choosing to stay or to leave? Are all such dreams realized? Is it even possible to distance oneself from one’s roots? Whether seeking to preserve one’s connection to the world one leaves behind or trying to find a sense of belongingness in a new world, the characters in these stories grapple with love, loss, loneliness, isolation, and regret as they navigate their way through family, friendship, and life in general.

In “Aida” (5/5), the teenage daughter of an immigrant family settled in the United States struggles in the aftermath of the disappearance of her twin sister – a tragedy that tears her family apart. “Fausto” (3.5/5) revolves around a young girl who has to choose between staying with her father and moving to Columbia with the young man she is romantically involved with when he has to flee The United States to avoid being arrested for illegal activities. In “The Book of Saints” (5/5) explores an arranged marriage between a Columbian woman who misses her home and a controlling and oppressive American man. In “Campoamor,”(3/5) an aspiring writer in Columbia spends most of his time juggling two girlfriends while contemplating a move to the United States with one of them, aware that his lies and deception would eventually be exposed. In “Guapa” (4/5) a tragic accident shatters the hopes and dreams of a young woman, who had been living life on her own terms. “La Ruta” (5/5) revolves around the tender friendship between a taxi driver and a young woman who visits a Church every day to pray for an opportunity to emigrate to the United States. “Ramiro” (3/5), revolves around Chana and Ramiro, both of whom are in the employ of the Church in an attempt to reform them – Ramiro from being arrested for his gang affiliation and Chana for her delinquent behavior, skipping school and her promiscuity. “The Bones of Cristóbal Colón” (4/5), revolves around a sister searching for a safe place to bury the remains of her deceased brother, a priest whose grave was desecrated and some of his remains stolen. She also reconnects with her former lover, who has since emigrated but is currently visiting Cuba. The dynamics between a Columbian woman employed as domestic help in the home of another Columbian woman form the basis for “Libélula” (5/5). In “Aguacero” (5/5) a chance meeting between two fellow Columbians (one a young woman who is an immigrant based in New Jersey and the other a middle-aged man from Madrid) in New York leads to a brief but impactful friendship.

Having previously read and enjoyed Patricia Engel's Infinite Country, I was eager to read more of her work and this collection of short stories does not disappoint. The author writes beautifully. Engel excels in her sensitive portrayal of human relationships. Her characters are real in that they are flawed. Despite the common themes explored throughout the book, each of these ten stories stands as unique. As in most collections, I enjoyed some stories more than the others but overall this is an impressive compilation of stories each of which is well-written and emotionally impactful. I look forward to reading more from this talented author.

I paired my reading with the exceptional full-cast narration featuring Patricia Engel, Gisela Chipé, Frankie Corzo, Inés del Castillo, Cynthia Farrell, Dominique Franceschi, George Newbern, Anthony Rey Perez, Aida Reluzco, Alejandra Reynoso and Gary Tiedemann.

In a Nutshell: One of the best character-oriented anthologies I have read in a long time. Focussed on South-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.

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The Faraway World is a collection of ten rich, engaging, compelling short stories about the immigrant's experience. It explores the connections/separation in a disconnected world from one's emotions and identity with their homeland and culture. Universal themes of relationships, love, friendship, trust/betrayal, regret, belonging/acceptance, fear/hopes, grief, trauma, and class, are woven in.

“Sometimes love hits you like a drunk driver on Memorial Day weekend,” she says. “A tragedy, really, but you don’t care because you’re the victim and beyond hope anyway.”

“We are all fucked no matter what and when you finally understand that -poof-you’re cured”

I read and listened to the stories and enjoyed listening to the exceptional full-cast narration, including Patricia Engel. Hearing different voices for the stories enhances my enjoyment of them.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

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The Faraway World opens with a banger of a story. 'Aida' is a quietly evocative short story that really shows off Engel’s strengths as a storyteller. Like her other works, Vida and The Veins of the Ocean, ‘’ has a beguiling, dreamlike, atmosphere that is however permeated by a slight sense of unease. In the story, the narrator’s sister goes missing. The narrator notes the different ways in which her disappearance affects their parents, and how not knowing what happened to her becomes both a source of despair and of hope. In 'Fausto' we follow a girl who falls in love with a boy who has a bit of a bad reputation. Despite her father’s disapproval, she becomes involved with him. In another story, we follow a couple who meets online and marry not so much out of love but convenience. They eventually relocate to the US and have a child together. We read of how the husband keeps tabs on his wife, installs cameras in their home, and attempts to dissuade her from having her own life.
In yet another story two Colombian ex-pats meet in New York. The two connect, even if the woman is wary of what the man reveals about himself. Set in Cuba, Colombia, and the US, these stories often revolve around sleazy or otherwise unpleasant men who are either cheating on their partners or do not seem particularly concerned with how their choices/actions affect the women they are involved with. While portraying people who make mistakes and have regrets, can make for compelling character studies, these stories present us with barely there characters, whose personalities and motivations easily blended together. I wondered why so many stories gave these shitty men not only so much page time but gave their presence so much weight. And it was boring too for so many of these stories to be focused on sexual and romantic relationships, as I found myself craving for ones that were more centred on familiar/platonic ones.

Nevertheless, despite my not having really clicked with this collection, I do like Patricia Engel’s style, especially when it comes to creating and maintaining the tone of a story. Her settings too are usually rendered with realism, and there were some poignant reflections of belonging, regret, and connection. Sadly, the only story that left a strong impression on me was the first one. This if the fourth work that I have read by Engel and I'm afraid it's the one I like the least.
If you are interested in this collection I recommend you check out more positive reviews.

Audiobook ….. read by Gisela Chipe, … and a full cast of ten others including the author: Patricia Engel

I never expected to enjoy these stories as much as I did. Not sure why I had doubts…. and I did like some stories more than others in this collection.
I had read Engel before:
“Infinite Country”,
“Vida”, and “The Veins of the Ocean” …..enjoyed them all ….
and I have a copy of “It’s Not Love, it’s Just Paris”…(but haven’t read it yet).

So….here’s the thing > I listened to most of these stories, while I was in the yard, soaking in the pool, and part of the time while I was clearing out books and clothes to send off to our local ‘Thriftbox’….
I didn’t take any notes —
And my god — I’m not sure I retained enough content to leave a comprehensive review. But…. I was totally present - engaged with these stories while listening.

So — in no order - no certainty what details came from which story — some of the themes that stood out for me with loneliness, solitary moments - sex - desires - fear & disappearance- hope for getting pregnant- massage — motherhood - relationships of every kind -adultery - marriage- notes about about suicide, yet not wanting to actually commit suicide- disappointments -cautiousness - cleaning - fighting - pleading for emotion - injustice - abandonment - ‘body/mind’ connections, vanity, breakfast meals, household upkeeps, American employees, criticizing table manners, suffering, give-a-way gifts, extreme sacrifice, official immigrants, financial debts, human consciousness, limitations, and survival….

3.5 stars ….

It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on abuse, animal abuse, child endangerment, violence, parental neglect, sexual abuse, psychological distress, & others.

I have split my thoughts into sections of this collection of short stories that transpire across Cuba, Colombia, & the United States, & see the inclusion of many other countries. Even though there were times when I felt that a specific story was not of great interest to me--that I was perhaps not enchanted with the narrative--I recognize good writing & good stories, & appreciate that Engel crafted a series of realities that can be, objectively, appreciated for all that they are. This is a wonderful collection & Engel's writing is pointed, fantastic, & engrossing.

Aida
Salma begins talking to the reader in an attempt to recollect a moment in her life that was at once riddled with horror & also leaves her with an emptiness that is difficult to name. During an evening after their shifts at a part-time job, during their 16th year, Salma’s twin sister, Aida, vanishes in the time it takes her to lock-up shop & begin to make her way to their meeting point. Throughout the weeks that follow, Salma recounts the destruction that Aida’s disappearance caused her family; once masked trouble, now outwardly unhinged & poorly positioned, none of the members of the family are able to cope in ways which grant them any semblance of reprieve.

What is most troubling about this story is that the reader is never able to know Salma. We are certainly privy to some hints she gives us; those that require one to read between the lines. Yet, in all the pages that we read about her experiences being a twin & a daughter, Salma remains an enigma. Though she is certainly her own person & can appreciate that the world welcomes all as individuals, ever so much as we connect with each other, her relationships guide her throughout her days & result in rendering Salma a shadow of herself.

I wanted to hear more about Salma, I wanted to see her thrive. Yet, I knew that she was working against all the odds; she felt responsible for each of her parents as well as for the success of their marriage, she was the lone twin survivor of an attack she didn’t know was coming. Salma is just a kid & she never stood a chance. The only person in this life for whom she could rely on & share love was taken from her & in a final act of violence, hidden from her forever.

Fausto
Within Miami’s Latin community, lives Paz, a woman who is in love with Fausto, a less-than-respected man. Paz is the daughter of a restaurant owner who practices his catholic beliefs very adamantly, if not religiously. In all the short period of time that Paz has known Fausto, her father has diligently expressed his discontent towards their relationship; he knows that Fausto is not a responsible, honest, genuine man & wants to see his daughter with someone more to her standard. Regardless of him vocalizing these opinions, Paz continues to spend time with Fausto. When he gets a side job working for a wealthy man in a white suit, Fausto recruits Paz under the guise that his brother needs her to bring him his new vehicle; the man who had no motivation for anything now has a career & a brand new vehicle.

This story unfolds after the events have long since transpired. Fausto’s recruitment of Paz as a driver was under false pretences. She was a mule driving a loaded vehicle to various sites for members of the industry to load & gather the items that were hidden in the build. It is at once repulsive that Fausto would do this to the person he knows frequents church 3-4 times a week, if not for her strict religious beliefs alone but, on top of this one knows that he asked her to perform these tasks so that he did not have to split the profit he was making.

I would love to say that I found something to appreciate in this story but, I was left with displeasure with regard to both the main players. Surely, Paz has redeeming qualities yet we are not privy to them. She sits waiting for a sign that her former lover, having fled to Colombia, will come back for her even after she stated she would never leave her father. Why would she do this? Of course, it is easy to say that love influenced her actions & opinions but she has so much going for her. I recognize that even if this is the case, it does take the person themselves to recognize their own potential, one can wish good things for another but it changes nothing unless that person wants good things for themselves. I suppose that is part of being human. Our decisions are made on the backs of thoughts we hope to be diligently reflected on yet, so often we find ourselves realizing our mistakes.

The Book of Saints
In the joining of two worlds, a young girl endeavours to place an advertisement for an American husband; one who will distract her from the predatory ‘relationship’ she was having with her teacher—a man in his 50s. The dialogue shifts between the two characters in this story to reflect how a single experience might be interpreted in vastly different ways. The American man sought out a Colombia ‘girl’—as he specifically put it, someone under 30—after seeing his friends find success.

It was difficult for me to gauge whether or not either of the characters here was meant to be antagonists or protagonists. I am left feeling that the purpose was to present both characters as being entirely who they were—honest to a fault with themselves in their inner thoughts—while simultaneously keeping their essence hidden from their partner. It was revolting to read about Paola’s experiences of maneuvering a sexual relationship with her teacher, one that left her feeling sentiments of love & longing for a relationship that would take its place. She deserved better than that. All the while the new man she meets is a fraud seeking to vindicate his failures through someone who doesn’t know better.

I wanted to feel sorry for him at the end, watching cancer eat away at him but, I couldn’t. Paola was never seeking to harm him in anything & yet, for whatever reason, his thoughts constantly revolved around slicing her at the knees; preventing her from doing something she never showed an inclination to do. There is no ‘greener grass’, & yet I wish there were, for Paola’s sake.

Campoamor
Vladimir lives with his parents in a run-down apartment in Cuba. He spends his time searching for meaning in all things but within himself; these endeavours do not lead him far. Though he thinks of himself as a writer, he never writes & though he has many ideas, he connects with none of them. In all his time frequenting the beds of Natasha & Lily, he realizes that neither woman really knows him entirely; the essence of himself is lost within the crevices of his mind. As the government makes its rounds offering to pay-out residents to begin revitalizing the city, Natasha & Vladimir begin the process of immigration to the United States.

The tone of this story is very bleak & though there are many instances of physical proximity, the narrator maintains his distance throughout it all. I find this aspect to be most enticing as he appears to be someone who revels in the proximity he can acquire & the physical gain he can amass by being with Natasha & Lily, all the while hiding from everyone. His parents regard him as a child, though he is in his late twenties, while both Natasha & Lily view him as a representation of what they hope a man could be--something that suits them.

It’s interesting that a person can be so much themselves while at once having no substance. What distinguishes Vladimir from the shadow figures in this city? What enticed these women to lead him into their lives; allowing him to experience intimacy with each while keeping their blinders on for those parts of him that left much to be desired? I really enjoyed this story because of the presence of a person who wasn’t actually present at all.

Guapa
Indiana came to New York State because her mother wanted her to live the ‘American Dream’ but that didn’t seem to be in the cards for me. In lieu of a family, a house, & a good-paying career, Indiana spends all the money she makes at her factory job on getting cosmetic surgery. Though she voices there being an end goal in her pursuits, she is the victim of an automobile accident that amputates her legs, before she can complete her cosmetic pursuits. All these are done under the guise of making her beautiful. We know nothing about her except the parts of herself that have been altered due to the perception of others.

She expresses having lost ownership over her body upon birth, having been overfed by her parent which led her to be obese for the entirety of her life, up until she began starving herself & undergoing cosmetic procedures. This is insanely sad, for however brutally apathetic Indiana seems to be, she retains everything around her as a sponge does to water. It is as though she is only who she is because of someone else. Though this aspect was disheartening, the author performed her transcription of bland inner monologues, perfectly. The accident that regressed Indiana into someone who was once again dependent on her parent was shocking & sorrowful.

I cannot say for certain that there was any reasoning as to why Indiana chose to do what she did. Did she love Edgar or was he simply the pawn present when the position needed to be filled? Did she enjoy companionship or was the social norm something she saw fit to accept? In the end, I do not feel that I know her at all & I suppose that this was the intent; a person everyone recognizes but who remains distant enough that she doesn’t even truly know herself.

La Ruta
Margarito lives in Cuba & works as a taxi driver. One afternoon he meets a young woman who is on a quest to fulfill her promise to the Saints. She vowed to visit the church every day for a year in the hopes that her prayer is heard; that her aunt in America considers taking the steps to begin the immigration process for her & her spouse. All the while Margarito deals with, what appears to be, a toxic relationship with his long-term partner.

I have very little to say regarding this story for at this point I considered not finishing the book. This story did not bring any new format or information to the surroundings & having read five (5) previous stories that resembled this one, I was tired of the familiarity. Another reason for which I did not like this story very much was because of the relationship that Florence has with Margarito; the constant bickering, nagging, & threats of abandonment, all grew to be too much & I lost patience. I am sure there is something here for readers to appreciate, but I am not one such reader.

Ramiro
Chana meets Ramiro when they are serving time cleaning a local church; both under the watchful eyes of the personnel & the religious figures that watch over the edifice. Chana was given an ultimatum, either she work diligently at servicing the church or she was sent away to a school for troubled youth. Ramiro has been part of a local gang for almost all of his life; his prison sentence was commuted to labour with the assistance of the priest who would guide him through this stage. Both characters have their cards set against themselves.

I appreciated that Ramiro’s character seems to play a central role in this story yet, Chana was the person who ultimately paid the price for the depth of actions we were never privy to. Certainly skipping school is unproductive in terms of finishing the required level of schooling. However, the complexities of her relationship with her mother breeze over the pages while she emphasizes that Ramiro was able to change & seize the day, whereas she waited for her parent to save her from the circumstances she left her in.

The Bones of Cristóbal Colón
Joaquin’s remains have been stolen & his sister Elena, the remaining family member, is left to find them a new burial place. Not unlike Christopher Columbus, whose bones have been stolen, shared, & transferred between countries, Elena cannot locate a final resting place for her brother. During this process, Elena’s old lover, Marco, returns to Cuba & wants to start seeing her again, behind his wife’s back. This seedy character is everything Joaquin warned he would be.

This is an unfortunate story, Elena roams in something of a grimy place all her life. That is not necessarily her environment, but her choices never lead her to green pastures. She loves a man who would rather leave the country with another woman than be able to speak earnestly with Elena; her brother was murdered after becoming ordained; her mother a pious woman kept her daughter under her thumb reminding her of her brother’s superior worth. I wanted to see her experience more but, she refuses to budge, like mould in drywall.

Libélula
An anonymous recounting from the perspective of a woman who went abroad with her husband, divorced, then began working as a housekeeper. In this story, she reveals the proximity to the lady of the house with whom she shares many similarities but to whom she remains an enigma or a shadow figure of what might be a human being with a complex reality. Though they share a home, the lady of the house remains distant, selecting her path in life so as to secure herself the kind of existence she feels she deserves, all while maintaining something of a total lack of self-awareness. Yet, one is left feeling her panic throughout her struggle to maintain her position.

I appreciated this story’s flow & the way that both women meet again while travelling back to their home countries, though their situations vary they employ the same transit system, making the list of similarities they share elongate. I felt that this story was told at the perfect length for truly there is nothing left to say. A secret child, an employee who leaves in the middle of the silence that hovers over an empty house, a dissatisfied husband, a wife who settled in wealth. All the characters in which story are complex but the author sees fit to keep the reader at bay, just enough to leave them feeling unsettled by the closeness they weave with each other, in something of a rickety bridge over troubled waters.

Aguacero
A woman who called herself Sarah, meets a man named Juan in a moment of faith, standing at the side of the road awaiting public transportation. Over the course of twenty (20) days, Sarah is able to work through her trauma-induced insomnia, while Juan is allowed to inhabit the world between his realities in peace with someone who asks nothing of him. Together they share parts of themselves; sitting for meals, sleeping throughout the night, wandering the streets in a friendship that gifts them both the promise of tranquillity. Yet, when the time comes for Juan to return to his realities, those that he shares with his family, his child, & his girlfriends; they never speak again.

What renders this story so poignant is the void of the entirety of the self, proclaimed through words, transmitted through actions that are comforted by those of a stranger. Without Juan, Sarah struggled to work through her post-traumatic stress, induced by a sexual assault. Without Sarah, Juan hides within himself completely missing from the world around him. Together, for only a moment, the author reveals how greatly we can be impacted by the simple presence of another, without so much as a request for aid; our partnerships, intimacies, & relationships can shape us into the people we are in the world. I appreciated this story a great deal.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avid Reader Press & Patricia Engel for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

3.7 Stars

This book has ten stories dealing with varying themes.

Aida – 3.5 Stars

Salma’s twin, Aida, is missing. The girls are sixteen and live in a safe small town with their parents. What happened to Aida? Can they find out? The story comes from Salma’s first-person POV, revealing more about their family and a little about the disappearance.

Fausto – 3.5 Stars

Paz is in love with Fausto. They plan to get married, but Fausto wants to become rich first. Being a security guard is hardly a career, and easy money is more than welcome. But what happens when things don’t go as planned? Narrated by Paz in the first-person, this is a story of love, dreams, morals, decisions, and choices.

The Book of Saints – 4.5 Stars

The story comes in a dual first-person POV of an American 40+ man and a 25+ Colombian girl. What starts as a regular story ends up becoming so much more. Very well done.

Campoamor – 4 Stars

Vladimir is a writer, or so he calls himself. He is drifting between three houses and two girlfriends, doing nothing else. However, things may change. Why? How? What will happen? The story comes in the first-person POV and reads as boring as the guy is.

Gaupa – 4 Stars

Indiana is one of the thousands of Colombian immigrants in New York working in a factory. Narrated in the first-person, the story takes us through her life, past, present, hopes, dreams, and the love of her life, Edgar.

La Ruta – 4 Stars

Mago is a taxi driver living with his dominant girlfriend Florencia. One day, he gets a young woman as a passenger, and it changes his life. Told in the first-person POV of Mago, the story ends with a cliffhanger of sorts, much like his situation.

Ramiro – 4 Stars

Narrated by a teenage girl, Chana, the story focuses on her life and Ramino’s. How are they connected, and what happens next? The ending is quite heartbreaking in this one.

The Bones of Cristóbal Colón – 3.5 Stars

Anita gets a call that grave robbers have stolen most of her brother’s bones. It’s quite common in the city, though she hopes his bones will be safe. Later that day, she gets a call from her lover, who left her for another woman. Told in the first-person POV, this is a story with no real starting and ending, just like the narrator's life- waiting for something to happen.

Libélula – 4 Stars

Told in the second-person narration, it’s the story of a woman who becomes a house help to another immigrant like her but money. The story is told in a matter-of-fact tone, though it has elements of deeper contemplation about bonds, life, and survival.

Aguacero – 4 Stars

A chance meeting between the narrator, a 25-year-old girl with trauma, and Juan, a 50-year-old man visiting the city to disappear for a while. They develop a unique bond that helps them both.

To summarize, The Faraway World is a collection of character-oriented short stories that examine human flaws, societal conditions, and interpersonal relationships. All of them have flawed and realistic characters who manage to make an impression despite everything.

Patricia Engel writes people so well. She captures the quiet, often overlooked parts of people. She traces interactions to their most natural conclusions in a way that tells you she is observant (at times her ability to craft characters reminds me of Anne Tyler in its intimacy). These stories encompass many points of view, many world-views and experiences and many different tones. But they all have a melancholic yearning for something, some faraway world. But maybe the conclusion is that the world that seems so far away from us is already encompassed in the world around us—if only we look for it.

Favorite stories: "Fausto", "The Book of Saints", "La Ruta", and "Libelula"

A strong literary short story collection set in Colombia and Cuba and among immigrants in the U.S. I was really blown away by the first two stories. “Aida” is dark and creepy, told from the point-of-view of a middle-class girl whose twin has disappeared—not something I’d normally want to read, but exceptionally told. “Fausto,” narrated by a naïve, devoted young Catholic woman in Miami whose boyfriend gets them into transporting drugs for extra cash, is also exceptional, a marked change of voice from the first story but equally well done.

As for the rest of the collection, it is good but didn’t hit those same high notes for me. “The Book of Saints,” featuring dual points-of-view from an American man who seeks a wife internationally after multiple divorces, and a Colombian woman advertising on a marital site to move on from the teacher who groomed her, stands out. The three Cuba stories—“Campoamor,” “La Ruta” and “The Bones of Cristóbal Colón”—all focus on infidelity in various forms; they present a strong sense of place, a feeling for living on the island in the modern day. Engel is Colombian-American, but from choosing Cuba as her only other setting and one she returns to repeatedly, I’m guessing she has some experience of the country. In these stories’ vivid and specific detail, they certainly feel written from knowledge.

“Ramiro” is an intriguing story of two troubled teens intersecting in Colombia—a gang member from the slums on his way to reform, and a somewhat more privileged high school dropout seemingly on her way down. The remaining three stories, “Guapa,” “Libélula” and “Aguacero,” set among Colombian immigrants in the U.S., were probably my least favorites. “Guapa” just seems like an unmitigated chronicle of body issues, relationship blindness and truly terrible luck, with a complete downer ending. I did appreciate the point-of-view of a live-in maid in “Libélula,” but the format may have become over-familiar to me by this point, with two people intersecting, going their separate ways, and then the narrator getting a final follow-up at the end. And “Aguacero” seems to have been a favorite for many but just felt contrived to me. I would have liked to see a few stories in the third person (as is all are in first); while the difference in voice between the first two is impressive, it isn’t a level of distinction Engel is quite able to maintain throughout.

Overall though, strong writing and insight into character, while the plots are compelling and the settings come to life. An excellent choice for those who enjoy literary collections and/or Hispanic lit.

I'll open with an honest disclosure—I almost never enjoy short story collections the way I enjoy novels. The limited (simply in terms of page length) relationship between characters and reader leaves me feeling that I'm experiencing something at a distance. Given the content of the stories in The Faraway World, that distance isn't as big a problem as it might be, though it's still a problem.

The characters in The Faraway World are all liminal. Patricia Engel sets her stories in Colombia, Cuba, and the U.S., and in every instance the characters hover between locations in one way or another. Sometimes this is a result of immigration, sometimes a result of deportation, sometimes a result of the changes in a nation losing population to emigration. When characters relocate, their world becomes unfamiliar. When characters don't relocate, their world nonetheless becomes unfamiliar.

Engel does have a gift for making settings concrete—even with limited information, the reader can imagine where the events of these stories are taking place. This is a particularly noteworthy ability given the broad range of settings among the stories in The Faraway World.

If you enjoy contemporary short stories with a global sensibility, I can assure you that you'll find The Faraway World satisfying reading. If, like me, you prefer novel-length fiction you may feel a bit disengaged while reading these stories, but certainly won't view that reading time as time wasted.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss+; the opinions are my own.

Thank you to Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, and #Netgalley, for an early copy of this book for review. This was very hard to rate, and is a three and a half star rating which had to go one way or the other, and settled onto three. Engel teases the push and pull of opposing forces to see which will win out in the end. Often, it is independence versus interdependence. The author layers more points of tension on top of the major psychological tug of war: the proud immigrant against the assimilator, the soft childlike teen vs. the hardcore emerging adult. The juxtaposition is full of surprises, too: the courageous turn out to be more vulnerable than the fearful. And the risk taker ends up being a people pleaser. When the roles are blurred, it takes impetus to assert one's identity, and creates the potential conditions for a crisis beyond anyone's control. And it only takes one imbalance for everything to tip over.

As the title implies, these stories plumb the experiences which set people apart, the desperation, the fears, the compounding anxiety of the other, the non-standard life. These are people who create their own identity based on what they need from others, or what others need from them. It makes their very existence malleable and too insubstantial to be satisfying. The saddest version of the American dream is the one sold to immigrants. For most, it is a slick dressed-up lie made of tissue paper. For the lucky, there is mere disappointment, for the worst off, there is devastating loss. Nothing is guaranteed, not opportunity, or reward, nor love itself. Almost anything can become transactional at any time, or disappear suddenly, as if it never existed. This is the nature of life. It's risky, and it has always been most hazardous for the outsider. For them, the American dream is hammered together with mismatched foreign parts. The stories are stark, sad, and full of despondency, but also very real. These are the stories which get swept away for their unremarkable ordinariness, which is not at all the same as not mattering.

Engel demonstrates that though there is a faith which can emanate from a kind of pure and simple beauty, there is also the devastation that oozes from false hope and broken promises. One theme running throughout the stories is the idea of cleansing, not just the washing away of sins, but the hope of becoming a new person, a better person, in a better place, someone with self-respect. This constant search for redemption becomes a singular quest, and induces the characters to become obsessively fixated on whatever they'd think will save them. The realization that it's not who you are, but where you are, that ultimately matters, is a cruel epiphany.

The Faraway World is a book of short stories, each dealing with some version of the American dream. Patricia Engel has given us uncluttered and tautly written stories of poverty and desire; the harshness of lives where nothing comes easy. Whether they make their way to America or stay where they are, for the most part they remain unfulfilled. As my grandmother used to say, "Be careful what you wish for." Yes, I found the stories depressing but I was also struck by the characters resilience. They were not giving up. My ratings range from 3 to 5* with The Book of Saints and La Ruta (taxi) being my favorites.

I received a drc from the publisher via Netgalley.

After reading Infinite Country, I will read anything Patricia Engel writes. So, this book was already on my radar in 2023.

I still can't get over how awestruck I get at her writing and how it invites me to sit down and savor every word on the page.

This book of short stories is as equally breathtakingly raw as it is subtly profound. Engel has the extraordinary ability to create a very real and palpable space for the liminal and in between, creating an achingly real essence of brutal hope and beauty and place and humanity. Through her writing, the far-away worlds exist. And we're better for it. We need books like hers.

It should also be said that the collection itself was masterfully assembled. While each story is very different in its own right, they all make sense as a collection, each woven with seemingly effortless storytelling and a singular power and purpose. I cannot recommend her writing and this book enough.

The best collection of short stories I've ever read. One of the best books I've ever read. Read this book. Now.

The first years in New York he thought, just like we all do when we arrive, that he would eventually go back once he had something saved, but now he’s been here long enough to know there is no returning–when you cross over that ocean and those borders, they cross over you.
from The Faraway World by Patricia Engel

I was blown away by Infinite Country by Patricia Engels and eager to read her again. The stories in The Faraway World offer insight into the lives of those who have left their home country and their families, believing in the myth of a better life elsewhere.

These characters exemplify that one’s losses are not always offset by the gains, that coming to America doesn’t guarantee safety. Even the woman whose husband gives her a life of luxury in America is more unhappy than the maid she hires for physical and psychological comfort.

In the opening story, a twin girl disappears and the American police comments, “This isn’t some third world country…The likelihood that your daughter was kidnapped is extremely remote,” but the reassurance proves to be false. In another story, a Miami teenager in love is unwittingly drawn into drug running.

A once chubby woman with a factory job in America undergoes a series of operations in her homeland to perfect her beauty. She is in love with a younger man; aa horrific accident, in an ironic twist, may send her back to Columbia to live with her mother.

There are also stories are set in Columbia, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.

A Havana taxi driver’s passenger is on a pilgrimage to visit hundreds of churches, praying that an aunt in America will bring her over. She tells him, ‘I don’t want to love anything on this island. It will make it harder to leave.”

A hardened street kid’s life is changed when required to work at a church with a merciful priest whose impact changes his life and inspires a troubled girl who doesn’t understand why her mother in America hasn’t sent for her.

“No one is safe from this world’s horrors,” a Cuban woman is told. Her priest brother’s bones have been stolen from the cemetery. Like the bones of Cristobal Colon, whose bones were without a country, the dead have no home. The man she loved and who loved her chose to go with another woman to America.

Several stories probe relationships and marriage. An agency arranges a marriage between a Colombian woman and an American man; it isn’t a love match, not a perfect marriage. The wife is still an outsider, each is filled with doubts. And yet, in the end, they stay a family and the man realizes he is happy. A wannabe writer is in a relationship with two woman. When the unmarried woman has an opportunity to go to America, and take him with her, he has to chose. “You can live on your invisible words here…Not over there,” the married girlfriend warns him. A Colombian woman in America meets a troubled man with PTSD after being kidnapped back home. She takes him in and cares for him, uncertain about believing his story of being from a prominent family. Years later, she learns the truth.

These haunting stories reveal truths about what people give up for the hope of a better life and the too often disturbing reality of the cost of staying or leaving.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

There was a moment in the last story in this collection, “Aguacero”, where I briefly forgot I was reading Patricia Engel. The writing suddenly felt alive, not just vivid and descriptive, but the words were so fluid and lyrical, it felt like reading Hemingway.

This collection, despite having almost all been published in the past, was a refreshing reminder of Engel’s talent as a writer today. Her characters might all come from similar backgrounds and be in similar situations - exiled, lost, desperate - but each feels so unique and alive through her prose.

The same can be said for how she approaches setting and place. Havana, Miami, New York, and Bogotá are like their own characters with the life Engel breathes into them through the peoples - and it’s always the people that are the most important in Engel’s stories - that inhabit these places and paint the background or play key parts in the main characters’ lives.

The stories here were exactly my cup of tea. Mostly sad, uncertain, and in my mind I associate them with the vibes I get on a foggy environment. I loved how the author crafted her characters, and I have no words for the prose. Great writing.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

I really like Engel’s writing but I just was bored with every story. I’m not sure if it’s the short story format, the topic of the stories or that we haven’t seen any sunlight in four weeks. I wanted to like this but it just didn’t get me pumped up to turn the pages.

This is a fantastic collection spanning a wide variety of experiences, stakes, and settings. Some of my favorite passages included references to not wanting to love anything in a place since it would make it harder to leave, returning to a home country after the U.S. did not deliver on promises, and the shame of waiting for permission to get free.

I want to read this collection again, especially the last story.

4.5/5 I loved this collection, each story is dramatic and high stakes, and the style is reminiscent of Lucia Berlin. Her writing style is stunning. My favorites were Fausto, The Book of Saints, Guapa, The Bones of Cristobal Colon and Aguacero

Is there a German word for feeling mentally exhausted due to the emotional traumas of fictional characters? Because yeah.

Whew, this was heavy to get through, most of the time. At the same time, Engel is so skilled with this type of exploration of pain and struggle and grief that it never felt manipulative or exploitative. It wasn't about putting the characters' turmoil on display for gawking at, but to shine a light on experiences that many of us will never know, although of course, there but for the grace of God. And while there are many times when characters act in foolish, impetuous, and downright dumb ways, there is always something there that makes you feel empathy rather than irritation. Engel has a way of presenting "unlikeable characters" and still making you like them.

A lot of these stories are taking a macro issue and delivering it in a micro setting, giving us an intimate look into something that we usually only view through a wide-angle lens. I especially appreciated that many of the women are older than is typical in contemporaries -- middle-aged rather than new adult -- and that we get to see them finding ways of living on their terms in a world that doesn't think they are owed any terms at all. I also liked the exploration of what "home" means and how one's connection to the land they're from can wax and wane over time, but never becomes uncomplicated.

A couple of the stories didn't totally work for me, and there were a few men who I would really like to see punched in the junk. But overall this was a stunning collection.

Individual story ratings:
Aida - 5
Fausto - 4
The Book of Saints - 4
Campoamor - 2
Guapa - 4
La Ruta - 3
Ramiro - 4
The Bones of Cristóbal Colón - 5
Libélula - 5
Aguacero - 4

Near perfection.

Favorites from the collection:
- The Book of Saints
- La Ruta
- The Bones of Cristóbal Colón
- Aguacero

Touching essays.

4.5. I thought I was off short stories after the last couple I read but this one was so much better. Each story was only about 20 pages long but the author fully took advantage of every page and made full fledged, emotional, real stories in that short space.

I loved Patricia Engel's last novel, Infinite Country, so I was very excited to get to read this collection of short stories. Short story collections can sometimes be hard for me, with some of the stories leaving me wanting more. That was definitely not the case here. While there were some stories I enjoyed more than others, each one drew me into its world.

The stories take place in the United States, Cuba, or Colombia. All the stories are linked by the characters' emotional connection to their homeland, either in the country where the story takes place or in as they look to it from afar. Some of the characters have questionable morals, while others are grappling with loss and isolation. Some of my favorite stories included: "Aida", in which a young girl processes the sudden disappearance of her twin sister; "Libélula", exploring the dynamics between a wealthy woman and her maid, both Colombian immigrants; and "The Book of Saints", in which a man and a woman have an unconventional marriage.

I definitely recommend this strong story collection!

Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for review!

I loved this book!! Some of the stories reminded me a little bit of Otessa Moshfegh.

The Faraway World: Stories by Patricia Engel was released six days ago. The Faraway Worldis an exquisite collection of ten haunting, award-winning short stories set across the Americas and linked by themes of migration, sacrifice, and moral compromise. I highly recommend this collection of short stories. All ten are ones I would read again. As Leigh Newmanwrote in her review in the NYTimes, The Faraway World is "a collection about the Latin American diaspora."

In addition,Leigh Newman described The Faraway Worldproves that Engel, like one of her characters, is capable of noticing "that between two people, a look reveals more than a fingerprint." The first story in the collection,"Aida," is about two twins, one of whom goes missing. Once I read this story, I could not stop until I had read all ten.

The stories are based in Cuba, Colombia, and the US. I know a few NJ settings that gave more meaning to these stories. I felt like I was in Cuba and Colombia, whichI had never visited.

NPR interviewedPatricia Engel. She described how she wrote the stories.

They came to me at different points when I was thinking about other things. But of course, they are connected by this - the motivating force for change, desire, and the ever-changing conditions of identity and movements and changing geography and landscape and diaspora. Those are things that I explore in all my writing, and it's something that I explore in my life. So, of course, it permeates my stories.

The Goodreads summary provides an overview,

Two Colombian ex-pats meet as strangers on the rainy streets of New York City, both burdened with traumatic pasts. In Cuba, a woman discovers her deceased brother’s bones have been stolen, and the love of her life returns from Ecuador for a one-night visit. A cash-strapped couple hustles in Miami to life-altering ends.

The Faraway World is a collection of arresting stories from the New York Times bestselling author of Infinite Country, Patricia Engel, “a gifted storyteller whose writing shines even in the darkest corners” (The Washington Post). Intimate and panoramic, these stories bring to life the liminality of regret, the vibrancy of the community, and the epic deeds and quiet moments of love.

This is a collection of short stories written by the author of Infinite Country.

The stories feature latinx characters and take place in Colombia, Cuba, New York, and Miami. The lives of the characters are mostly connected with immigration: those who dream of starting a better life in another country and those who have already immigrated and are attempting to build a new life.

This is a beautifully-written book. Patricia Engel has a magical way with words. I was caught up in the lives of these people, and that is sometimes hard to achieve in the short-story format.

The tone of the book is not happy. The characters are each struggling with something. The stories are odd and unsettling and often sad. I imagine that this is what the author was aiming for - a more realistic portrayal of what the lives of these people look like. (It is not all realistic. Engel sometimes uses strange occurrences to illustrate the point of a story. Yet nothing included is not credible, or at least possible.)

I was equally moved and disturbed by these powerful stories. Which is a pretty good recommendation, if you think about it! I think that everyone who reads this book will be glad they did and will carry some of the stories with them for a long time. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2, available now.

My thanks to the author, Patricia Engel, to the publisher, Avid Reader Press / Simon and Schuster, and to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book.

#TheFarawayWorld #netgalley #avidreaderpress #simonandschuster

I was recently introduced to Patricia Engel's work by someone at our Friends of the Library meeting; knowing that Engel grew up in our town just made the fact of her unique literary voice and immense talent that much more compelling. I started with Vida, the book that won her Colombia's National prize in Literature (the first woman to win, the first book in translation to win), and then Infinite Country (NYT bestseller, Reese Book Club, etc.). When I heard that The Faraway World was coming out, I immediately requested it on NetGalley, leaving The Veins of the Ocean (winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize) waiting on my night table.

Despite having read the ebook version, I’ve purchased several hardcovers for myself, friends and family, because she will be coming to our library for a special event this month! If you are in the northern NJ area, this is a can't miss event. Register Here

As you can probably guess, the book did not disappoint. Engel's characters come to life in all their grit and glamour, in tales of class struggle, love and regret. The settings—Cuba, Colombia, America—are every bit a part of the story here too, vividly described in Engel’s skillful prose. I loved this collection.

Another deeply affecting fiction from the author of the compelling novel Infinite Country, this time a collection of blistering short stories spanning the pan-American world, though primarily inhabited by Colombia, Cuba, and the U.S. Whether striving to survive a daunting set of circumstances in their Latin land of birth, or to find their place and their contentment in an adopted America, these men and women grapple with one roadblock--or a hundred--in their quest for love, respect, independence, self-worth. We ache for their heartaches, groan at their missteps, and shudder at the likelihood of what's next. Family dynamics are at the root of most of these dramas, and intense and warring emotions are the order of the day. In the poignant words of one haunting protagonist, "Bad fortune is as certain yet unpredictable as the weather." What is very predictable, on the other hand, is the ever-upward trajectory of Ms. Engle's spellbinding prose in the literary canon.