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Countries of Origin: A Novel
304 pages, Paperback
Published October 7, 2025
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 18, 2026
I have been looking for new gay narratives, and this one met the mark with a gay story intersecting with immigration, loss, and some class class story. That said, the book started off strong because I was interested because of the book’s fresh themes, but ultimately it flopped in the end and felt a little underdeveloped.
The story’s protagonist, Demetrio, decides to leave New York because he’s undocumented. He works hard. He’s a gifted pastry chef. He’s stuck at a job that doesn’t match his potential, but he’s trapped because of his status. This felt compelling to me, and it excited me at first. He’s young and ambitious, but then the main character really starts to feel sorry for himself, and this was a huge turnoff to me. When he really starts to feel sorry for himself, I’m like hey kid, you’re moving to Spain not Guatemala. Relax.
He meets the wealthy Jacobo on his flight to Spain. And just like that over the course of a cross Atlantic flight he’s saved by the rich boy. Their relationship never feels real. It feels like puppy love, and the plot just feels too lucky. All that grit and grind really becomes a story of him experiencing wealth and privilege that on one hand he critiques when it’s convenient but embraces it because as we all know, money makes things easier.
Demetrio lost his mother which led to him being raised by his gay uncle in New York. The relationship between him and his uncle was the most interesting storyline in the story. I wanted more. Their relationship felt fresh and interesting. But the author decides to tell this rather rushed and fraudulent connection which is more like irrational obsession that Demetrio has with Jacobo’s mother, Patricia. I know that Demetrio is a lost and wounded boy that lost his mother and is looking for his place, but the action that happens between the two of them felt rushed, forced, and implausible.
The book ends with the protagonist pretty much hitting the lottery with a white light towards a new future. It’s boring and simple. I wanted him to make it, but this story wasn’t as interesting as the author thinks that it is.
The story’s protagonist, Demetrio, decides to leave New York because he’s undocumented. He works hard. He’s a gifted pastry chef. He’s stuck at a job that doesn’t match his potential, but he’s trapped because of his status. This felt compelling to me, and it excited me at first. He’s young and ambitious, but then the main character really starts to feel sorry for himself, and this was a huge turnoff to me. When he really starts to feel sorry for himself, I’m like hey kid, you’re moving to Spain not Guatemala. Relax.
He meets the wealthy Jacobo on his flight to Spain. And just like that over the course of a cross Atlantic flight he’s saved by the rich boy. Their relationship never feels real. It feels like puppy love, and the plot just feels too lucky. All that grit and grind really becomes a story of him experiencing wealth and privilege that on one hand he critiques when it’s convenient but embraces it because as we all know, money makes things easier.
Demetrio lost his mother which led to him being raised by his gay uncle in New York. The relationship between him and his uncle was the most interesting storyline in the story. I wanted more. Their relationship felt fresh and interesting. But the author decides to tell this rather rushed and fraudulent connection which is more like irrational obsession that Demetrio has with Jacobo’s mother, Patricia. I know that Demetrio is a lost and wounded boy that lost his mother and is looking for his place, but the action that happens between the two of them felt rushed, forced, and implausible.
The book ends with the protagonist pretty much hitting the lottery with a white light towards a new future. It’s boring and simple. I wanted him to make it, but this story wasn’t as interesting as the author thinks that it is.
Displaying 1 of 1 review