An eye-opening, heartbreaking read | Indivisible Book Review

So, Indivisible is now published and out in the world for all to read. How exciting! (You may recall one of my previous blog posts were about why I was excited for this book and I got to ask Daniel Aleman a few questions about Indivisible and his writing process. If you missed that, find it here). Now the book is out, I’ve read it, and knew I had to do a follow up post about my thoughts.

As I made my way through the whole book on release day, I knew I was reading something truly wonderful. I had such high expectations for Indivisible before it even came out; these expectations were surpassed by miles. So, let’s talk about it. Indivisible by Daniel Aleman. What. A. Book.

Book: Indivisible
Author: Daniel Aleman
Released: 4th May 2021
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis taken from goodreads website:

“A timely, moving debut novel about a teen’s efforts to keep his family together as his parents face deportation.

Mateo Garcia and his younger sister, Sophie, have been taught to fear one word for as long as they can remember: deportation. Over the past few years, however, the fear that their undocumented immigrant parents could be sent back to Mexico has started to fade. Ma and Pa have been in the United States for so long, they have American-born children, and they’re hard workers and good neighbors. When Mateo returns from school one day to find that his parents have been taken by ICE, he realizes that his family’s worst nightmare has become a reality. With his parents’ fate and his own future hanging in the balance, Mateo must figure out who he is and what he is capable of, even as he’s forced to question what it means to be an American.

Daniel Aleman’s Indivisible is a remarkable story — both powerful in its explorations of immigration in America and deeply intimate in its portrait of a teen boy driven by his fierce, protective love for his parents and his sister.”

Firstly – I know this review is long overdue. I actually wrote the majority of this on the day the book came out. It was the fastest I’ve ever written a review. I read the book all on release day then poured all my thoughts out onto the screen. But, over a month later, the post is still in my drafts. Indivisible is one of those books where you don’t just close it after finishing, and that’s it. The end. It stays with you. It makes you think for long after finishing reading it. So, a month later, I’m still thinking about what I read, still thinking of more things I want to say and add to this review. That, I think, alone speaks for itself by how good this book is and how much I loved it. But I feel like now, I can’t keep adding to the review for the rest of my life and never actually publish it.

I have previously mentioned that Indivisible was my most anticipated read of 2021. I had been waiting for this release date eagerly, so I could read the book and see what it had in store. I consumed the whole book in one day and it did not disappoint. It’s been a long time since I consumed a book in this way. Since I’ve put my whole life and and current reads on hold, to just read a book start to finish in one day. But it was so worth it. The book, and every word on every page, was worth every day I waited for the release.

Indivisible is not an easy read. It is emotional, to say the least. It’s hard hitting, heartbreaking and so, so powerful. It’s not even a case where one part of the book is emotional, and the rest isn’t so bad. The book is continuously emotional from the moment Matteo realises his parents are gone. As I made my way through the book, I was consistently in tears throughout. My heart broke for Matteo and Sophie as they kept getting knocked down by life again and again. They’re both still kids themselves, and suddenly their parents are just gone and they’re left to have to cope on their own. I felt their heartbreak, their hope and their feelings of loneliness through the pages. 

Indivisible is a book about family, friendship, community, kindness, belonging, isolation, hope. It’s about life carrying on when things are at their worst and Matteo has really been beat down by everything life has thrown at him. It covers so many themes and feelings and emotions in such an impactful way. It works beautifully. I think what really makes this book so hard hitting, is whilst the book is fiction, this is a very real story. Immigration, deportation, ICE separating families – these impact people every single day. Reading what this experience is like through the eyes of a young man and his sister makes you realise the actual impact all this has on all areas of life.

What I love about Indivisible is yes, it is primarily about Matteo’s parents getting taken by ICE – but that’s not all it’s about. Aleman covers how this affects Matteo and Sophie, of course, but also their friends and family too. You see the impact their parents had on their local community and how loved they are. And the book doesn’t stop with the parents being taken and the affect of that; it also presents the struggles that Matteo, Sophie, his parents and his uncle have in order to try and keep Matteo’s parents in the country, and to keep their family together. Aleman has not shied away with this book, and it is so effective with how it’s all been carried out. This harrowing journey for everyone within Indivisible really makes you realise how much harder Matteo’s parents being taken by ICE is, and for me, really made me think of how just many people in real life are having to go through this experience every day.  

On the subject of a real story, I want to mention that I absolutely adore Matteo as a character. I just want to give him a hug and make everything better! He cares so much for his family and friends and you can really feel his anxiety and fear through the words – especially as they heighten as the book progresses. I also love how Matteo is such a real character. He doesn’t always handle situations in the best way (like with his friends). Having him admit this, tell himself that he is at fault, but then reading how he tries to do better and learn from his mistakes is beautifully refreshing. Matteo is going through a LOT so I think the actions he takes in the book can be forgiven, but having a realistic character in a book – someone who is human, does make mistakes but uses them to learn and grow – is something I will never tire of reading. Aleman has written Matteo’s character so well that you just can’t help but feel for Matteo and only want the best for him and his family. 

Despite Matteo and his family having all the struggles of deportation looming over their head, something really heartwarming is how connected the family still are. They may not all be physically together, but throughout this whole experience, both of Matteo and Sophie’s parents ensure their kids know how loved they are, and that they’re never truly alone. Even in times as scary as this, throughout the pages you can feel how strong their family bonds are, and you can feel the hope every one of them still has.

One last thing I want to mention is how well paced this book was. It was perfect. Never at any point did I feel that Indivisible was losing my attention. Quite the opposite! I was always wanting to read more and more (hence my reading it all in one day). I loved the unexpectedness; the book definitely didn’t go where I was expecting at all throughout from start to finish, but it far from disappointed me. And as I said at the start – I finished the book a month ago, and even now I’m still left thinking about it. As I sit here editing this post, I’m hoping Matteo, Sophie and their parents are all doing okay! I really didn’t expect the book to have this impact on me – at least, not this much of an impact, but the fact that it has, I think is just incredible.

And there we have it. Indivisible. I’m sure by the time this post goes live, I’ll have thought of more things I wish I’d said, but I think this will have to do. I’m sure all of you reading get the idea of just how amazing I think this book is and how much I love it. Indivisible really is just a fantastic read, from the first to last page. I already know I will absolutely be revisiting this book many times…I mean, I already want to read the book again and I only read it a month ago! I even have a second copy just to highlight sections! In case it wasn’t obvious, I’ll say it plainly: Indivisible is a book I can’t recommend enough. It’s eye-opening, raw and honest. I think it would be near impossible to read this incredibly moving book and not feel any empathy – towards this fictional family or the real people going through this ordeal. I truly believe that Indivisible has the potential and power to change peoples perspectives on ICE, immigration and how to view and treat people – for the better.