Everyone Knows You Go Home in Words Between Worlds

Jul 23, 2018 Katy O. rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult-reads

I absolutely loved this book but am really struggling with how to describe it. How about a list?
• family
• marriage
• adoption (sort of?)
• immigration
• the harrowing journey to cross the US - Mexico border
• the ties that bind almost-strangers
• magical realism that feels REAL
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If you are as upset as I am about how the US treats immigrants to our country right now, definitely add this to your TBR. Oh, and I have to admit that the title confused the heck out of me, but I promise it will be explained i ...more

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Jul 20, 2018 Simone rated it really liked it

Shelves: literary-fiction, poc-authors, 2018

I picked up this book for my bookstagram book club, @words.between.worlds. I don't think I would have picked up this book if it wasn't for them and that reality kind of makes me sad. Because this book rings so truly to my family and probably many other families living in America.

Isabel sees her husband's father for the first time on her wedding day (which also happened to be the Day of the Dead). However, what she was seeing wasn't the corporeal version of him. Instead, she was being visited by I picked up this book for my bookstagram book club, @words.between.worlds. I don't think I would have picked up this book if it wasn't for them and that reality kind of makes me sad. Because this book rings so truly to my family and probably many other families living in America.

Isabel sees her husband's father for the first time on her wedding day (which also happened to be the Day of the Dead). However, what she was seeing wasn't the corporeal version of him. Instead, she was being visited by his spirit on the day she's married to wish them happiness and congratulations.

Sadly, Martin, Isabel's husband, doesn't really acknowledge him and neither does his mother or sister. It's because in some moment in their past their father had disappointed their family so much that they don't even acknowledge he ever existed. But you know from the remorseful way he talks that there's a secret there and the rest of the story is a journey to the truth.

The most interest part of this book is how it's presented. The chapters switch off between what's happening in the present and what happened in the past. The past stories are filled with turmoil and struggle of a family who snuck across the Mexican-American border. You read about their money problems. You read about how they try to hide themselves from the police. You even read about how they hid in the truck of a car barely able to breathe. You also read how dangerous the journey is and how it's not just some jump over a fence. They are risking their lives for a little bit more freedom.

If anything, this part of the story was the most haunting part. Being born in America, I never have to worry about being caught by the police and walking on eggshells everyday. In all honesty, I feel doubly privileged to be a person of color born in America. However, I can't say the same for some of my relatives who are living here on green cards or just stayed past their visa expirations.

And in this part of the story, you get it. You see how they did the best they could with what they were offered. They cleaned toilets and they made difficult decisions and they tried to give their kids everything they wanted because they wanted the best for them. You get to witness the immigrant experience and even with only a few opportunities open to them, they never make themselves feel like immigrants. They try to live the American life.

I think what's haunting about this whole story is the danger of it all. There's always this lingering possibility that the police or ICE will appear one day and deport Omar and Elda. You keep thinking it's going to happen when Martin and Claudia end up one of those kids stuck in a cage. The story's connection to recent events creates relevancy to both what's going on in this country and what some immigrant families might be thinking.

In the end, you find out everything which is nice. You come to understanding why Martin's father left. You find out what happened to him after he disappeared. Everything gets wrapped up, but it's definitely not the most elegant present you've seen. Like reality, heroics always come with a little bit of sacrifice. Knights slay dragons but lose their arm in the process. Dreams do come true, but you lose a little something in the process. Freedom isn't always entirely free.

And I like that about this story. It presents the danger and the dysfunction and how it's not all that easy. I feel like this is the story you rarely read even though it's the reality of the world some days.

I received a copy of this book from the author for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author. ...more

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Nov 15, 2018 Candace Hernandez rated it it was amazing

I was immediately captivated by the story-telling. I felt connected to so many of the characters as well as the Día de los Muertos aspect of the novel. The characters were complex and lived messy, realistic lives. Elda perfectly embodied my own grandmother - the stubbornness and sass were spot on!

It’s no secret that I love when stories alternate between past and present - and this novel did it so well. I will admit that I felt a stronger connection to the story set in the past. The love that Oma ...more

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Jul 18, 2018 Diana rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018

“They could walk for the rest of their days, die among the barren rocks of the desert, and never know how old they had turned, how much life they had sacrificed for this new beginning. He had always thought crossing the border would be hardest, but now he suspected it was this, the in-between, the stretched of miles for the forgotten, when they could become lost but never mourned, it found but tossed back, turned away as if they had never arrived.” -EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GO HOME.
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The book starts ou ...more

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Jul 16, 2018 Charlotte rated it really liked it

Shelves: latinx-authors-read, favorites, read-in-2018

This story initially centers around a young newly-wed couple (Isabel and Martin) and how her father-in-law’s ghost appears every year on the Day Of the Dead, trying to communicate and make amends with his family members who are not able to see him. In their family, Omar has not been spoken about since he seemingly abandoned them many years ago. The sudden appearance of Eduardo, Martin’s cousin gradually changes their perception and different POVs and timelines reveal how a past secret and it’s c ...more

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Feb 23, 2021 Rachel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle-read, 2021, hd

Incredible. Probably one of my new favorite books of all time. This hooked me from the beginning and I couldn’t stop thinking about it as I read. Beautiful story of love, family, loss, and home. I cried in the last few chapters of this book. I loved everything about this book

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Jul 18, 2018 Miriam rated it it was amazing

Beautifully written family saga about love, betrayal, forgiveness and redemption.

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Jul 05, 2018 readwithjamie rated it really liked it

This was my first Audible/Kindle combo & I thoroughly enjoyed Frankie Corzo’s narration. This is one that I think everyone should read for another perspective on immigration. Topics also include Mexican culture, marriage, family, humanity & magical realism. The stories of crossing the border in are harrowing & are true to form. Many of the topics discussed are a part of the Spanish AP program I teach in junior high & half of my Spanish-speaking students have similar personal stories. I believe m ...more

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Aug 04, 2018 Erica rated it it was amazing

I absolutely loved this story about family, immigration, secrets, and love. This book touched me on a personal level. Magnificent storytelling.

“Not every moment can be precious. Oh, mija. Even the shittiest ones are. One day you’ll look back and mourn the pain of it, how alive you were.”

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