Sponsored by Avid Reader Press, publisher of Infinite Country by Patricia Engel.
In Infinite Country, acclaimed author and daughter of Colombian immigrants Patricia Engel tells the story of a Colombian family fractured by immigration and deportation over the span of 20 years. The novel inhabits the voices of five family members, parents Elena and Mauro and their three children Karina, Nando, and Talia, who are each living a different aspect of the kaleidoscopic migratory existence. At its core, Infinite Country is story about how family bonds endure across space and time, and how love transcends borders and our darkest moments. The Reese Witherspoon book club pick for March, Infinite Country by Patricia Engel is available now in bookstore and online.
Welcome to Read This Book, a newsletter where I recommend one book that I think you absolutely must read. The books will vary across genre and age category to include new releases, backlist titles, and classics. If you’re ready to explode your TBR, buckle up!
Today’s pick is a thriller that had me going “WTF?!” in the best way possible, but just a heads up: There’s discussion of animal harm, child neglect, and drug use.
The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis
Seven years ago, Tress Montor’s parents disappeared, and she was dumped on the doorstep of her neglectful grandfather, who runs a not-entirely-legal “zoo” of dangerous creatures that have no business living in their small Midwestern town. Tress burns to know what happened that night, and knows that one person might be able to tell her: her former best friend, Felicity Turnado. Tress’s parents were driving Felicity home when they disappeared, but Felicity claims to not have any memory of what happened to them. Seven years have passed, and when Tress is finally pushed to her limit, she decides that she’ll make Felicity talk…by bricking her up in a coal chute of an abandoned house in the woods while a Halloween party rages on. Tress figures if she can’t scare Felicity into telling the truth, then at least she’ll have revenge.
For those astute readers, yes, this book is a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” and the Poe references abound in this book, which is the first in a planned duology. It’s rather remarkable how the plots, themes, and imagery of Poe’s most famous short stories translate so well to a YA thriller set in the rural Midwest, where poverty and class play a major role in the power dynamics. I was immediately drawn in by the mystery of where Tress’s parents could have gone, but I stayed for the fascinating dual POV and back and forth between Tress and Felicity, whose one-time friendship gave them a strong bond but is now broken, and who both remember and view different events throughout their lives in markedly different ways. We see that even though they’re very different, even though they both have turned to very different vices and survival tools, they’re both motivated by shame and fear, but an inability to voice that shame and fear has set them on a memorable collision course. This almost felt like a will-they-or-won’t-they friendship story where I wanted desperately for them to make up and repair their relationship, but McGinnis leaves you hanging…and I mean that most sincerely, because this book has a true cliffhanger ending.
I know that this might not be a book for everyone (especially for those readers who will want to wait until book two comes out next year and not endure months of waiting!), but I was utterly engrossed by the darkness of the story, the resilience of the characters, and the compelling writing.
Bonus: The audiobook is extra great!
Happy reading!
Tirzah
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