In the Country in Around the Year in 52 Books

Apr 24, 2019 Jacqie rated it it was amazing

I read this excellent book of short stories to help prepare for a trip to the Philippines. All the stories look at different ways that poverty, past colonization and oppression affect the people just trying to live their lives day by day. She looks at what it's like to emigrate and then return in several different ways. In "The Kontribida", a doctor comes home to Manila to see his mother after his father dies. He notices all the little things that he never gave a second thought to, and realizes I read this excellent book of short stories to help prepare for a trip to the Philippines. All the stories look at different ways that poverty, past colonization and oppression affect the people just trying to live their lives day by day. She looks at what it's like to emigrate and then return in several different ways. In "The Kontribida", a doctor comes home to Manila to see his mother after his father dies. He notices all the little things that he never gave a second thought to, and realizes how his newfound financial security has alienated him from his former life. In the tiny store that his mother runs in front of their house, detergent is sold by the individual packet because people can't afford to buy a whole box. In such small ways are people disadvantaged further by being in poverty. They can't take advantage of economies of scale because they can't afford to buy at a larger scale. In "The Miracle Worker", a young therapist living in Bahrain with her husband is hired by a wealthy mother with a disabled child. The story explores, among other things, how leaving behind one's home in order to gain wealth leads to a feeling of isolation, especially one with social stratification as severe as Bahrain (or, I suspect, the USA). The story that affected me most was one about a boy in a wheelchair who had been led to believe by his mother that his disability was for special, almost supernatural reasons. This boy was isolated at school until he met a girl just as isolated as he was, although for different reasons. This one was a punch in the gut.
There are also stories about what it was like to live under the repressive Marco regime and even one that I believe is from the viewpoint of Imelda Marcos.
Mia Alvar moves effortlessly between viewpoints and each story's voice felt true. She writes about the pain of living in a repressed and disadvantaged country which is still feeling the reverberations of a colonized history. So many people sacrifice so much just to survive and to help their families. The stories are about how we lie to others and to ourselves in order to keep going. There's a lot of compassion in these stories, a lot of pain. I'm not much of a short story reader, but I feel really fortunate that I stretched myself and tried this book. This is an extremely talented author and I'll be on the lookout for more of her stuff.
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Jun 27, 2015 SibylM rated it really liked it

Shelves: literary-fiction, immigration-and-refugees, i-own-ebook, fiction, short-stories, i-own-it

Four and a half stars. I don't usually care for short stories at all, but this collection is getting such great reviews from people that I trust, that I really had to read it. And I am so glad I did! Mia Alvar does a terrific job of writing different characters -- young, old, male, female, rich, poor. Each story is really like a little novel on its own -- so much depth to the characters and the stories. Because I do prefer novels, I'll say I hope she's working on one right now. ...more

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May 16, 2019 Ann rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-atw-80

Gets better after the third story; the first three were a tad template-y. I liked the stories mentioning Bahrain and the last two which were historical fiction about the Aquinos and martial law. I'm giving an extra star for the all-women POV. ...more

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Apr 13, 2016 Katie rated it really liked it

Shelves: philippines, short-story

Mia Alvar's lived experiences clearly inform this interesting short story collection. I would seek future writing of hers out. This short story collection, like many, was somewhat uneven, with beginnings that were nearly uniformly better than their endings. ...more

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Apr 06, 2017 Ruthi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: library-borrows-started-2017, my-favorites

Heart breaking, full of emotion & absolutely beautiful writing lead to some gorgeous short stories in this collection. I am so glad it was available to borrow at my library! 5/5, would recommend to short story lovers and even those who, like me, aren't that keen on short stories- they are absolutely beautiful and worth giving a read.

I had never read any books set in the Philippines so it was a mind-expanding read for me, one I am very grateful exists. These are beautiful snapshots with people wh ...more

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