Come Together Fall Apart is a book of stories and a novella by Panamanian author Cristina Henriquez. The author is best known for her novel The Book of Unknown Americans. I wish I’d read that one because I didn’t fall in love with these stories as much as I’d like. Maybe I read them entirely at the wrong time; I’m not sure.
The coronavirus changes us all in unexpected ways. My reading habits and book tastes have also changed. I want to read the authors of our times more. And I find myself looking for the setting of the books at first, then the subject. As you can imagine, if it is a book that will upset me, I immediately get rid of it; I do not even give it a chance. I’m sure you see the changes in yourself as well. Anyway!
Come Together Fall Apart is a book set in Panama. Although Panama is not emphasized in all of the stories, you can always feel its presence in the background. There are mostly female voices in her stories, and they are of all ages. I loved reading about various women, so I loved this about the book. The author chose to deal with many different topics, from women and male relationships to child abuse. Therefore, when one story is over, one does not know what to encounter when moving to another. I was very disturbed by the story Beautiful, which is about child abuse. On the other hand, it was a strong and excellent story.
I have removed Panama from my list with this book. But I intend to read this country again with another author. This time I will prefer a novel rather than stories. Have you read any author from Panama?
Come Together Fall Apart
These eight short stories and novella travel from Panama’s dusty city streets to its humid beaches to create an affecting portrait of a country in transition. They illustrate family bonds and generational conflicts, youthful infatuation and genuine passion. Tender, ambitious, bold, and unflinching, they herald the arrival of a fresh, exciting, and lavishly talented new voice in American literature.
Cristina Henriquez
Cristina Henríquez is the author of The Book of Unknown Americans, which was a New York Times Notable Book of 2014 and one of Amazon’s 10 Best Books of the Year. It was the Daily Beast Novel of the Year, a Washington Post Notable Book, an NPR Great Read, a Target Book of the Month selection, and was chosen one of the best books of the year by BookPage, Oprah.com, and School Library Journal. It was also longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
