<i>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.</i>

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

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.

Catalina
by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
A fresh look at the Dreamer movement from a new perspective. This book shows the varied nature of the Dreamer, movement. That Illegal immigration especially children can have more complications and nuances then an obvious political movement. Catalina is a Dreamer, her parents died in Ecuador when she was a child. She was shipped to her grandparents in America as a child. The move was traumatic for an already scared child. It is her grandfathers legacy that causes her problems as an adult. His illegal immigration, and problems with ICE, and deportation haunted her throughout her time in the United States. Yet, all she really knows is this life. Going to Harvard, has not helped the situation as she could be protected but her grandparents could not. Its a heart rending book of family, pride, and the price we pay for safety, choice, and freedom.

A candid auto-fiction novel about Catalina, an undocumented person in the United States told in her brilliant voice. Catalina lives with her grandparents, Ecuadorians, who are themselves undocumented. As we join Catalina for about a year in her life we learn a lot about the trials and tribulations of being an undocumented person in the country. Despite being a brilliant student and despite her upcoming Harvard graduation, she has no prospects of getting a job. The novel also touches upon various aspects of South American history, contemporary American politics and literary references. There is no plot as such this is more a character study and has to be read with that mindset. I quite enjoyed the feisty sarcasm and dry humour and really loved the bits about south american history and heritage. I also liked how the author has brought out how people of a different culture and ethnicity try and impose their own point of view on the culture and history of others thereby causing a distorting effect. Of course there was a lot happening in this short book and I skimmed over some of the campus stuff. Read it if you like a contemporary American immigrant story.
Thank you Netgalley, One World Publishing and Karla Cornejo Villavicencio for the ARC

Catalina, by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, is a firecracker of a novel about an undocumented young woman who came to the U..S. from Ecuador at the age of five to live with her undocumented grandparents.

Brilliant, Catalina is now a student at Harvard who wants to be a writer, and the star of her story. She is an hilarious and self-absorbed young woman who can see American culture from a unique perspective as an outsider. However, Catalina can only intern rather than earn a paycheck as she has no social security number, she cannot leave the country, and she begins to mentally disintegrate when contemplating life after college where careers that pay under the table are few and far between.

The novel is also a devastating takedown of academia which studies indigenous people like Catalina without really understanding — or even wanting to understand — their plight. There will always be a part of Catalina, like the South American khipu which figures prominently in the novel, that will always remain unknown to the colonizer. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary advance copy of this book.

It’s all told in first person, in almost a stream-of-consciousness kind of way. And it has a certain snobbishness to it, in the way that (some) college kids often do. Like, Catalina wants to sound smart, and debate literature, and that sort of thing.

But also, she is in the country illegally. As are her grandparents, who raised her. She was sent to them when she was five, and knows no other life. She has gotten into Harvard, but will she even be able to get a real job after graduation, with no Social Security number?

So, despite her snobbishness on some topics, she is also dealing with real issues. Ones that a lot of her peers – especially the legacy students, who are at Harvard because their parents went there – would not be able to sympathize with.

There are only a handful of actual “chapters,” if you want to call them that. The book is basically broken up into seasons of one year. So even though each section is long on its own, the book moves fast. There are a lot of little observations quips that made me laugh out loud.

And there is an actual story, too. Some of the important stuff doesn’t even happen until we’re nearing the end. Either way, it’s compelling to just kind of drop into someone’s life – sometimes superficial, sometimes turbulent.

Catalina is a story of an undocumented young woman from Ecuador. At an early age Catalina lost her parents in a tragic accident and was sent to New York to live with her undocumented grandparents.

The story of an undocumented person in the U.S. isn't new, but each account is unique, such as in Catalina. She is whip smart and finds herself navigating a social and academic life at Harvard while harboring her secret. Finding romance and acceptance is walking a fine line. How is it possible to be accepted to a university such as Harvard when undocumented and what does the future hold? I was squarely in Catalina's corner and holding my breath. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio wrote a fine novel; it's hard to believe this is a debut.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/One World for the arc.

Catalina is raised by her grandparents in Queems after her parents died tragically in Ecuador. Catalina and her grandparents are all undocumented which plays a large part in their lives.

When Catalina gets into Harvard, she feels like she made it. But it seems like wherever she goes she can’t escape her reality.

I had a hard time with this one. The timeline was hard follow between flashbacks, present day and day dreams.

About halfway through when Catalina finds out what her grandfather has been keeping to himself I found myself a bit more interested but it never fully took off for me.

Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is a phenomenal literary fiction debut with luscious prose and wry humour that I think many readers will enjoy. We follow Catalina's coming of age story during her time at Harvard as she navigates life as a senior student, about to graduate. Diving deep into a unique perspective of a DACA student at a prestigious school, we follow Catalina as she faces obstacles in finding a job after graduating and creating meaningful relationships with those around her. The wit is bitting, the character analysis true to the mark. I believe anyone who read The Idiot would enjoy this book as it has similar themes.

This is very similar to The Idiot in a lot of ways, although unlike Selin (whose earnestness and love of philosophy was at times somewhat unbearable for me) Catalina is a hilarious hater (which I love and feels much more aligned with my own college experience). This novel also had the perfect amount of quiet devastation that I think I will be thinking about for a while -- truly would highly highly recommend it when it comes out in July!

This is an odd little book with a lot of ramblings by Catalina about her life and adventures and feelings and thoughts. Some of it seems extremely disjointed and scattered while some of it gives us an insight into her mind. There were a bit too many off-color references, scenes, and words for me, which I could have done without. Things were a bit confusing at times too, so although I thought I would enjoy this book it just wasn’t what I was looking for. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

A beautifully written coming-of-age novel! While reading it I was continuously rooting for Catalina, but some points in the book did fall short for me. I think it was maybe a bit chaotic, but I think there are certain people who would love this book.

Villavicencio's book The Undocumented
Americans was one of the most impactful and important books I read last year so I was beyond excited to get my hands on her debut fiction novel! Coming-of-age stories are my favorite and this is like one l've never read before!

Catalina is an undocumented student's coming-of-age story that was so dramatic and chaotic that it held all of my attention from beginning to end! The stream of consciousness style felt like a whiplash of emotions, in the best way!! I was equal parts heartbroken for her experience and also laughing out loud at so much of her absurdity and randomness! And I loved it!! As fun as it was, the novel also covers the raw and real side of an undocumented family and the tough choices and sacrifices they face daily. I invite you to pick up this novel when it comes out next week! You are in for a chaotic, messy, thrilling but resilient and insightful experience!

Catalina is the story of a 'dreamer', a child of undocumented immigrants living in the US. Being raised by her grandparents (also undocumented), she attends Harvard but will be unable to gain employment upon graduation. She thinks about this all the time while struggling with typical coming-of-age issues and that is the focus of this book. For me, the story was rambling and disjointed--I had trouble following the narrative and had to reread sections to reorient myself. The novel did give me lots to think about and I plan to pick up the author's first book, The Undocumented Americans<, for perspective.

Catalina is an excellent fiction debut by Villavicencio. The novel tracks as year in the life of Catalina, a brilliant undocumented immigrant at Harvard, Catalina navigates love and heartbreak through her experience as an immigrant with her grandparents in America. The story is told against the backdrop of the DREAMER movement and DACA and the tension and anxiety about deportation is palpable throughout Catalina’s journey. Catalina is a singular voice and many parts of this novel made me laugh with her observations. At its heart, this is a coming-of-age tale for a modern generation and Catalina is similar to Holden Caufield.
I loved this book and would recommend it if you like coming-of-age stories or multi-cultural fiction. An exciting new voice to fiction!

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After her parents tragic death, Catalina Ituralde was sent to live with her grandparents in Queens NY. When Harvard selects Catalina as one of their golden children, she is happy but still plagued by her curious and probing mind.

Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicenicio is one of those special books that everyone should read. Covering her four-years at Harvard, we meet interesting characters, have awkward romances and failed interactions, all while staying perfectly Catalina.

It's a hopeful and deeply funny story about one woman trying to be everything, including what SHE wants.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a short book that was hard to connect to. I do like a lot of autobiographical novels, but this felt too thinly veiled. Maybe I'm misinterpreting that. I loved Villlavicencio's first book, so i'll likely still look out for her writing in the future.

Catalina, the fiction debut of Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, follows the titular narrator on a stream of consciousness year in the life at Harvard while she tackles the big questions of her role in the world, what to do with her life post-college, who to spend her time with, and how to consider these constructs as an undocumented person with an undocumented family, where everything is more layered and carries greater risk.

Sometimes we describe books as all plot, sometimes we describe them as no plot just vibes, and Catalina is forging its own path with what I’m hereby calling no plot all voice. This book is biting, smart, meandering, and vulnerable, with an almost anthropological commentary from a narrator who is pulling no punches. Many will compare this book to The Idiot and of course they will, but they are very different reads, though maybe for a similar audience. (also, can we talk about this cover!)

I found Catalina to be a character full of heart, no filters, insecurity, and sass... the good girl with a secret badness that leads her astray but on her own terms. It is an interesting dreamer perspective that begs to be heard more, a way of young American life that is as isolating as it is free. She is a contradiction of terms as a character and the millions of dreamers she represents. This book will stay with me awhile.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | One World for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Catalina takes the reader on a journey of an undocumented Harvard student. Catalina’s parents were killed in an accident when she was only a baby. She was raised by her aunt and uncle for a few years until she was sent from Ecuador to the US, where her grandparents were living with undocumented status. Her grandparents gave her the best they could, as is evidenced by her attendance at Harvard.

This novel starts at the beginning of her last year at Harvard where she is struggling on how to secure a job without “papers” after she graduates. She wins awards and gets job offers but then what? Add to it her grandfather’s immigration woes and her entanglement with a wealthy Harvard boy (who wants to teach her about her Latin roots) and his father (a Harvard Alum) and you get a glimpse into the life of this one young woman, a dreamer, hoping for a way to save herself, her family and build a life of stability.

However you feel about illegal immigration, it is heartbreaking to read about the challenges of the kids who come here and have no other home than that of the US. Deportation isn’t the answer for these kids. But limitless immigration is also not feasible. I appreciate that this is one woman’s story and there are so many others with different stories and different circumstances.

Many thanks to @oneworldbooks and @netgalley for a digital review copy of this novel.

It was mostly vibes but good vibes. This book felt so real like I was sitting down to hear one’s life story. While the subject matter is not an upbeat one, it still felt very comforting and easy to relate to being Ecuadorian as well. I think we need more stories like this one in mainstream media and I would definitely read more from this author.