(Reviewed by JD Jung)
“They threw me out of the country like I was a nothing.”
Wait delves into the intricate layers of family, identity, and the harsh realities faced by undocumented immigrants in the United States. Through the lens of protagonist Elise, who is American, we are drawn into a world where the promise of a bright future is overshadowed by the cruel hand of fate and the unforgiving nature of bureaucracy.
The story begins with Elise about to graduate from the University of North Carolina, but her mother and younger sister never show up. Afraid of what could have happened to them, Elise travels back to her childhood home in Nantucket to find that her mother, Gilda, has been deported back to Brazil by ICE, leaving her behind as well as her seventeen-year-old sister Sophie. This sudden separation forces Elise to confront the harsh realities of her mother’s undocumented status and the fragility of the life they have built in Nantucket.
Through flashback sequences, we are introduced to Gilda’s journey as an undocumented immigrant and single mother abandoned by her husband, living in the shadows of American society for over twenty years. Despite her contributions to her community and her unwavering determination to provide for her daughters, she is ultimately torn away from them by a system that values paperwork over humanity. As Elise and Sophie grapple with the devastating impact of their mother’s absence, they learn that friends and neighbors who they thought they had known for years, cannot be trusted.
Issues of class and entitlement are also important themes in this book, as both Elise and Sophie learn self-sufficiency due to the fact that they can only depend on themselves.
Through its compelling narrative and compelling characters, Wait sheds light on the often-overlooked struggles of undocumented immigrants and challenges readers to confront their preconceived notions of belonging and identity.
