The Farm

Not quite what I was expecting, but a beautiful read all the same.

The Farm is a sprawling family saga set against Columbia’s recent turbulent history and explores issues of memory, nostalgia, and the concept of home. It opens with the death of family matriarch Ana. Her three children must decide on the future of the farm, a place which has been central to their sense of family and belonging all their lives, but which, without their parents, has lost much of its meaning. Pilar, the oldest of the three, a traditional and religious woman, lives there with her childhood sweetheart and is deeply attached to the property. Eva’s feelings have been affected by an attack by left-wing guerrillas, Los Musicos, who raided the farm when she was there alone. Antonio lives in New York with his partner Jon, an artist, and feels disconnected from the farm, only visiting once or twice a year. Without their mother arranging family get-togethers, he too feels that La Oculta is irrelevant to his life and knows that Jon doesn’t even want to visit. So now they must decide what to do – to stay or to sell up and leave. The siblings contemplate their attachment – or lack of it – to La Oculta in successive first-person chapters, and we thus get the point of view and inner thoughts of each of them. I found it an interesting read, and enjoyed learning about Columbia’s recent history, but the book felt overly long to me with some rather tedious passages, especially in Antonio’s chapters when he delves into the history not only of the farm and his family but of settlement in the area in general. I feel that a tighter structure would have helped the story move along in a more engaging way, without detriment to the issues explored. Nevertheless overall it’s an absorbing novel and well worth reading.

fabulous -- another outstanding title from Pushkin Press - would recommend this title to other readers

This was a very good book. Thanks to Archiplago for approving and sending in the ARC. I read the book later in paperback.