Patricia Engel’s The Faraway World is a series of ten stand-alone short stories set in the Americas (predominantly the United States, Colombia, and Cuba) exploring themes of migration and belonging. The stories in this collection often focus on a single relationship between characters (twin sisters, boyfriend-girlfriend, longtime partners, arranged marriage, strangers on chance encounters) as a lens through which we understand the fine lines between belonging and isolation, connection and alienation, both in these intimate relationships and in the larger context of society.

Engel has a writing style that closely observes her characters, casting in light not only what her characters choose to express and feel but also what they choose to keep silent - developing her characters with masterful restraint. Highlights in this collection for me were Fausto, The Book of Saints, La Ruta, and Libelula. (4.5)