Book Review - American Dirt - Jeanine Cummins

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

También de este lado hay sueños.
On this side, too, there are dreams.

Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.

Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favourite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy—two of them her favourites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.

Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia—trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?

I gave this book 5 stars because it really gripped me. I found myself turning the pages and wanting to know the outcome. It was quite intense and not always easy to read because of the subject matter but I liked the fact that it was challenging to me after reading a lot of chick lit and crime thrillers last year. It was also very descriptive and felt researched.

After reaching my conclusion and rating it, I discovered that the book has become quite controversial. I can understand some of the reasons behind that but this book does not claim to be a true story of a migrant's journey from Mexico to the USA. It is a work of fiction. It may well not be accurate in some of its content. The language translations may not be perfect. It is written by someone who hasn't experienced the journey.

Clearly it was never going to be a perfect representation of the struggles migrants go through to reach the USA but it does raise awareness of the issue. It does give an idea of what people will put themselves through to achieve their dream of a better life and to escape the nightmare of living in areas where the drug cartels rule.

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