Catalina

There's something about the faces of everyone in my family and in mine. I think you can see in our eyes the kind of sadness, which is in two places at once--mourning the past, grieving the future. Sad in a historically significant and visually satisfying way. Looking sad like it's your job.

In 2010, Karla Cornejo Villavicencio was attending Harvard when she wrote about her experiences being undocumented. Later, she would be on the shortlist for the National Book Award for her non-fiction book, The Undocumented Americans. Now she has written a novel about a young woman in her last year at Harvard who is undocumented and dealing with all the uncertainties people do when they are about to be launched into the world and dealing with the show more constant stress of being undocumented and worrying about her grandparents who are also undocumented and also getting older, so the kinds of jobs that are open to them are becoming more difficult. Catalina also wants to have fun, have sex, fall in love, like any other girl her age. She's also an over-thinker and very, very smart.

Catalina begins as a campus novel and ends as something else. For the first half of the book, it felt like a riff on Elif Batuman's Selin novels, with an uncertain but bright and engaging heroine navigating Harvard social life, trying her hand at flirtation and finding out more about herself.

I too could quote Charles Bukowski. I could wear headbands. Learn to drink port. You can be whoever you want in America.

But when the winter break sends her back to sit in her grandparents's tiny apartment while her boyfriend tours South America, an activity she can't share as she lacks the money and, as an undocumented American, lacks a passport. And once back in Queens, she is back in her grandparents's precarious world, where a toothache is a financial emergency and a surprise visit by the ICE puts her grandfather at risk of deportation. This second part of the book is both the strongest and the most scattershot part of the novel, with so many elements crammed into a single space that most get a quick, intriguing mention only to be overtaken by the next six things Catalina does or thinks or reacts to. The flaws of this novel are all those common in debut novels and there are far more elements to be impressed by. This is definitely an author to watch. show less

There is a plot in Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio — Catalina is a Dreamer from Ecuador who lives in New York with her undocumented grandparents since her parents died when she was young. Now at Harvard, Catalina yearns for belonging as she struggles to make it to graduation. But, the vast majority of the book consists of her musings in a stream-of-consciousness style that runs the gamut from childhood recollections to fantasy futures to pop culture references in a fresh, funny, sad, and original voice. An interesting — and thankfully short — coming-of-age novel that readers who don’t need a lot of action should take a look at.

Rating: 3* of five

The Publisher Says: A year in the life of the unforgettable Catalina Ituralde, a wickedly wry and heartbreakingly vulnerable student at an elite college, forced to navigate an opaque past, an uncertain future, tragedies on two continents, and the tantalizing possibilities of love and freedom

When Catalina is admitted to Harvard, it feels like the fulfillment of destiny: a miracle child escapes death in Latin America, moves to Queens to be raised by her undocumented grandparents, and becomes one of the chosen. But nothing is simple for Catalina, least of all her complicated, contradictory, ruthlessly probing mind. Now a senior, she faces graduation to a world with no place for the undocumented. Her sense of doom show more intensifies her curiosities and desires. She infiltrates the school’s elite subcultures—internships and literary journals, posh parties, and secret societies—which she observes with the eye of an anthropologist and an interloper’s skepticism: She is both fascinated and repulsed.

Craving a great romance, Catalina finds herself drawn to a fellow student, an actual budding anthropologist eager to teach her about the Latin American world she was born into but never knew, even as her life back in Queens begins to unravel. And every day, the clock ticks closer to the abyss of life after graduation. Can she save her family? Can she save herself? What does it mean to be saved?

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: A kind of autofiction, this novel is by one of Harvard's first-ever undocumented graduates. I am absolutely the target reader for this story, totally in support of the author's just clain to live here, to contribute her piece to the greatness of the world; yet I did not care about Catalina, her stand-in. I was repelled by Nathaniel, her love interest, because he simply never came across as more than a tiresome man of no perspective and a lot of blather.

So, despite feeling great eagerness at the start, I was not engaged. YMMV, of course.

One World charges $12.99 for an ebook edition. show less

"Catalina" is a sharply observed character study that truly nails the voice and perspective of a confident, intelligent, and perhaps somewhat self-absorbed college student. The author masterfully captures the nuanced mindset of this type of young woman, almost to a fault. I particularly appreciated the subtle yet powerful way the book addressed the experiences of undocumented immigrants, never feeling didactic or heavy-handed. The visceral reactions Catalina has to the white gaze and the exoticization of Ecuadorian culture felt authentic and impactful, especially in their brevity.

However, the singular focus on Catalina proved to be my main point of contention. While perhaps intentionally highlighting her vanity, the lack of development show more for other characters left the narrative feeling somewhat hollow. Ultimately, I found Catalina herself to be insufferable, which made it difficult to sympathize with her, despite the skillful execution. show less

I really loved this novel and in particular the main character Catalina. She was born in Ecuador but is raised in the United States by her grandparents. Initially she does not realize that they are undocumented.Catalina is very smart academically and a talented writer. I loved her zest for life and enthusiasm for everything she does. She does have some issues with her grandfather as she seems to becoming too "American" but her lifestyle and approach are always grounded in her Ecuadorian values.

I didn't love this book. It was just very straightforward and felt like I didn't really get to know the main character. I gave it 3 stars because some of the themes of the book I enjoyed and since it's such a hot topic right now about undocumented people in this country. It's good to have a book about the people that are here and have been forever and how it affects them and their families. But I just found this book slow. Not a lot happened and the main character was just so to the point, but not in a good way. It felt hard to empathize with her or get on her side because you just couldn't feel for her. I think I can sum up this book in one sentence. She was undocumented, her parents died, her grandparents raised her, she went to show more college, her grandfather was threatened to be deported, so he left on his own. And I think those were the big "things" to happen in the book. There was a boyfriend, in which I just didn't understand that relationship at all. But pretty sure that ended because she acted bizarre. They were on a trip and she just leaves and goes to some diner and let's some rando finger her. Like what? Where the hell did that come from? I definitely debated DNF'ing this multiple times, but since it's short, I did make it through. Again, great topic, I just wish it was done in a different way. Some parts of the book almost made the grandfather seem like a pedophile. I thought for sure he was going to rape her or something. It was really just super weird. show less

Catalina is an undocumented immigrant who came to America from Ecuador as a child to live with her grandparents after her parents were killed in an accident. Her grandparents are also undocumented. Accepted at Harvard, this fictional memoir recounts her experiences there. Pre DACA, a major obstacle for this Ivy League educated young woman is that she will not be able to secure a job upon graduation.

This short book (224 pages) exposes the insecurities, fears, and emotional toll experienced by undocumented individuals and families. It is written mostly as stream of consciousness with quite a bit of fantasizing which for me took away from the importance of the topics explored. This style will not be for everyone; others may find it a show more vibrant, contemporary read. I did enjoy the references to Latin American history and culture.

Thanks to #netgalley and #randomhouse for the DRC. show less