Name: Come Together, Fall Apart
ISBN: 9781101127094

Cristina Henriquez

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.

Come Together, Fall Apart

A collection of tales set on the dusty streets and humid beaches of contemporary Panama introduces readers to several young people at emotional crossroads, from a man who can't commit to marriage to an American girl who stays with her grandparents while her parents divorce. A first collection. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

A Novella and Stories

Janet Doré

As a soon-to-be Panama expat, I'm soaking up all I can read about my new country. Come Together, Fall Apart is a book of short stories (and one long one) set in Panamá, mostly in the 1980s. Unlike the other books I've read to date, this one gives a peek into the lives of regular people living in different parts of the country. 

In most of the stories, the main character is a young woman dealing with relationship issues. A little warning to men...with little exception, you guys don't come off too well in almost all of the stories. I'm left wondering if this is a cultural thing or purely coming from the author (I tend to suspect the former). Each story also makes it abundantly clear how hot and humid it is there! 😅

I'm not a fan of short stories and this book reminded me why. I would often get characters and storylines confused as I transitioned fairly quickly through each one and, just when I was connecting to the characters, the story would often abruptly end without much resolution. However, in this case, I didn't mind a bit as it definitely helped me accomplish my goal of getting to know Panamanian people and culture.

Come Together, Fall Apart

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