Odisea Del Norte / Odyssey to the North

by Mario Bencastro

Here is the powerful, original Spanish-language version of Mario Bencastro's novel, published in English by Arte Público Press as Odyssey to the North.

Genres: Fiction, Spanish Literature

195 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Alaíde Ventura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Juega con la forma, eso está bien. Plano, pero con destellos chingones.

[Cid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Latinx Literature course

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely difficult read but incredibly powerful and moving. The narrative form sheds light on the language of dehumanization built into US policy, economic and legal systems, as well as the role of neo-colonialism and US empire on immigration. Bencastro also humanizes the immense strength and resilience of undocumented immigrants.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fact that it is set in DC and that it was a translation got me through to the end, but the writing is extremely simple and spare.

[Harry E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story. Powerful indictment on US Immigration policy. Read for school and Professor did not honor this as they should have.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ Such a beautiful story about the journey of many immigrants trying to make it into the United States and the difficulties and barriers they experience.

[Shushan · Rating 3 out of 5]

EDIT———
After speaking to the author, I found so many nuances that were lost to poor translation. Such a shame.

This book serves as a great account of Salvadorian immigrants and their struggles coming in. However the book is incredibly simplistic and does nothing special.

[Heather Sobek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Latino literature.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reads more like nonfiction than true fiction but it is a heartbreaking story of what so many Latin American immigrants go through.