Country of Under

by Brooke Shaffner

COUNTRY OF UNDER, winner of the 1729 Book Prize, revolves around the transformative friendship of Pilar Salomé Reinfeld, raised by her undocumented father, a descendent of Bolivian Mennonites, in a Mexican-American community; and Carlos/Carla/Río Gomez, a gender-fluid DREAMer raised by their grandmother in the same Texican bordertown.

After years away, tragedy calls them back to the Rio Grande Valley--their lives changed but still bound. Still mourning, Pilar returns to New York City with Río. As Río finds love and Pilar struggles to find a way forward, they drift apart. When Pilar's decision to engage in a dangerous artivist act finally threatens to tear them apart, they struggle to do what they have done in their best moments: see the beauty in each other, even when the world does not.

"This luminous novel of big heart and span is a wonder. I am changed for having read it. The story has become part of my soul."-- Diane Zinna, author of The All-Night Sun

"At its core, COUNTRY OF UNDER is about time: The time it takes to understand oneself, others, the family you have--and the family you make. And, the time it takes to develop the patience to wait, as self-revelation unfolds."--Barbara Fischkin, author of Muddy Cup: A Dominican Family Comes of Age in a New America

"Brooke Shaffner's COUNTRY OF UNDER is a novel about the pain and wonder of being between identities. Between male and female. Citizen and immigrant. Fulfilled and empty. Outsider and insider. A novel of our time, told with deep compassion and striking beauty."--Helen Benedict, author of The Good Deed and Wolf Season

Fiction. Family & Relationships. Latinx Studies. LGBTQ+ Studies.

404 pages, Paperback

Published April 9, 2024

About the author

Brooke Shaffner’s novel COUNTRY OF UNDER won a Next Generation Indie Book Award Grand Prize for Fiction, the 2024 Foreword Indies Silver Award for Literary Fiction, and the 1729 Book Prize, judged by Diane Zinna. COUNTRY OF UNDER was the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction runner-up. Brooke’s work has appeared in Scoundrel Time, The Rumpus, The Hudson Review, Marie Claire, BOMB, Litmosphere, Lost and Found: Stories from New York, Necessary Fiction, and Big Indie Books. She has received grants from the Arts & Science Council, United States Artists, and the Saltonstall Foundation and residencies from MacDowell, Ucross, Saltonstall, the Edward Albee Foundation, Jentel, I-Park, and VCCA. Brooke is bisexual and grew up part Garza, part Shaffner in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley. Her Garza grandfather was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico; her Shaffner grandfather was raised Mennonite. With her partner Niteesh Elias, Brooke co-founded Freedom Tunnel Press to publish artivist books that straddle borders and Listening Labs to help organizations and individuals to become more connected, collaborative, and creative. An excerpt of her memoir-in-progress won the 2023 Lit/South Award and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Find more at brookeshaffner.com.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Congrats to my friend and fellow runner Brooke! It took me a long time to get a copy of this, but I'm so glad I did. The places and experiences of NYC in particular felt like a map of the city I've grown to live as I grew into adulthood here. The characters are big-hearted, beautiful, and real. And the themes are needed now more than ever.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

After attending a local book launch party with the author for "Country of Under," I was excited to jump into this novel. And I loved it. I was left hopeful for the characters, and melancholy for the change that has yet to happen in reality. The writing was beautiful, painting vivid pictures and drawing beautiful lines. There was painful, challenging imagery, and also doors opened to worlds I have not previously seen within my own life. The author wrote with passion and humor. She made me think, and smile, and learn.

[Alison Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

COUNTRY OF UNDER moved me intensely. The settings, characters, and events described in the book are different from my lived experience, which was a good thing because opened my eyes to things I had never spent time thinking about. At the same time, themes at the heart of the book -- being an outsider vs. belonging, finding your chosen family, and boldly pursuing your calling are universal, so there was much for me to take away from it. And, beyond the content, the beauty of the language used to tell the story stayed with me long after I read it.

[Patty Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the writing in this book. Every page is like poetry. The characters are rich and colorful with very diverse paths. The sad story of growing up undocumented in this country from a young person's perspective is eye opening, and the tragedy of
being bullied and beaten down for being different is hard but very real in this country. The characters' resilience sees them through the toughest of times, as they rely on their friendship throughout the years. The talented author pulls you into the story with the mystery of what happens to the mother, and then builds a beautiful narrative of love, loss, and how we are all connected.

[Jennifer Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sweeping novel tells the intertwined stories of Pilar and Río, two friends who grew up on the Texas-Mexico border, struggling to reconcile seemingly opposing sides of themselves. As the daughter of an undocumented immigrant, Pilar must bend herself to fit in, even when she can see a better life for herself and others who face similar struggles. As a "Dreamer," Río must also do their best to blend in, but their sexual and gender identities make it impossible. Both Pilar and Río must learn not only how to live their own authentic lives but how to help others do the same. This book will leave you a better person for having read it.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Country of Under is such a wonderful book and beautifully written. Shaffner has such a talent in taking raw emotions that are hard to talk about and putting them on paper in a way that causes the reader to feel a strong connection to the characters. This book reminded me that no matter what differences there may be between us and others, we are all deeply connected by a desire to find our true selves and to be accepted by those who love us. Very powerful book!

[Nathan Stewart]

Contained a surprising amount of depth. I am very impressed by Shaffner's ability to juggle the lives of both characters so easily, as well as how many years she could squeeze into a few hundred pages, seemingly with no trouble. The writing could be a bit spotty, although I enjoyed it more than not. I unfortunately was not at all interested in Pilar's final arc, but there was always something interesting going on with one of the two central characters. A pretty good book. I liked it.

[Jennevieve Culver]

AMP is such a stan it's not even funny and he does a good job of convincing me it's good

[Split Lip Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

WINNER OF THE 1729 BOOK PRIZE
WINNER OF THE FIRST NOVEL OVER 90,000 WORDS AWARD, NEXT GENERATION INDIE BOOK AWARDS
RUNNER-UP FOR THE PEN/BELLWETHER PRIZE FOR SOCIALLY ENGAGED FICTION
SECOND PLACE FICTION GRAND PRIZE WINNER, NEXT GENERATION INDIE BOOK AWARDS

Don't miss this incredible debut from Brooke Shaffner! "Country of Under," winner of the 1729 Book Prize at Mason Jar Press, revolves around the transformative friendship of Pilar Salomé Reinfeld, raised by her undocumented father, a descendent of Bolivian Mennonites, in a Mexican-American community; and Carlos/Carla/Río Gomez, a gender-fluid DREAMer raised by their grandmother in the same Texican bordertown.

After years away, tragedy calls them back to the Rio Grande Valley— their lives changed but still bound. Still mourning, Pilar returns to New York City with Río. As Río finds love and Pilar struggles to find a way forward, they drift apart. When Pilar’s decision to engage in a dangerous artivist act finally threatens to tear them apart, they struggle to do what they have done in their best moments: see the beauty in each other, even when the world does not.

Blurbed by Diane Zinna, Barbara Fischkin, and Helen Benedict, who calls "Country of Under" "a novel of our time, told with deep compassion and striking beauty."