Author: Jeanine Cummins
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Year of release: 2020
Genre: Modern & Contemporary Fiction, General Fiction
Release date: 21st January 2020
Rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis
Lydia Quixano Perez 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 four 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.
American Dirt will leave readers utterly changed. It is a page-turner; it is a literary achievement; it is filled with poignancy, drama, and humanity on every page. It is one of the most important books for our time.
Trigger warning this book contains mature themes such as gun violence, sexual assault grief and trauma.
Review
Lydia Quixano Perez lives with her son 8 year old son Luca and loving husband Sebastian in the Mexican city of Acapulco, even though drug cartels are taking over the city the three of them manage to go on about their lives quite comfortably, Lydia owns a bookstore Sebastian a journalist and Luca a very bright young boy who has a thirst for learning and absorbing whatever knowledge available to him particularly geography.
One day a man enters the bookstore he arrives at the counter four books in his hand Lydia is quick to notice two of the four books are her favourites the pair strike up a strong friendship, Lydia learns that Javier is educated and charming but what Lydia doesn’t know about Javier is that he is the jefe (The Chief) of the newest drug cartel which has hideously taken over the city.
Sabastian is tasked to write a tell-all profile on Javier that gets publicised, the families life will never be the same.
One afternoon whilst celebrating cousin Jennifer’s quinceañera there is a bullet that comes in through the open window where Luca stands it fly’s passed him and lodges into the tiled wall behind him there isn’t much time for Luca to register what’s going on around him, to escape the same fate as their massacred family  Lydia and Luca must run for their lives…… Don’t think…… don’t think…….. don’t think…….Â
The minute you open the book your forced forward looking around if only for the briefest of moments but never stop moving, you must do whatever you can so that Lydia and Luca can survive the cartel, and have the possibility of a new life in the United States of America. But first you must make a gruelling journey across 2,645- miles or 53 days without causing suspicion failure to make this journey can only mean one; thing death by the same cartel that massacred your whole family. Nothing is given away until right at the very end so you really must as a reader read on to find out their fate.
“Trauma waits for stillness. Lydia feels like a cracked egg, and she doesn’t know if she’s the shell or the yolk or the white. She is scrambled.”
― American Dirt
The plot was something I’m ashamed to say I knew little about, the book is heavy right from the beginning and it doesn’t ease up not even after you close, but this fact is why this reader believes everyone should read this book.  Teaching me how lucky I am to live in a country such as mine.  The mother son relationship was so authentic it added a touch of light in all darkness, the writing had me walking alongside the pair, My heart was in my throat the whole time I was reading, I believe this is one of the reasons I took my time in reading. I didn’t want to gloss over anything, make light of, or rush through because it might make me uncomfortable, I believe it should make myself and other readers uncomfortable to know that this happens and continues to happen with no end in sight. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just a book I could say yeah I read that, it’s a book I want to discuss with everyone I meet.Â
Lydia makes for the believable mother type character here, I know plenty of mothers who would fight for their offspring just as Lydia has. I did however struggle with Luca’s narration at times it’s a bit hard to believe a child of his age can have so much insight, I know he’s seen plenty of things most of us can’t even imagine but still it felt at times as if I was travelling with two adults, rather than a mother and her 8 year old son.  This doesn’t make Luca unlikeable to me but quite the opposite, I could see how his strength and knowledge will serve him and his mother well on their journey and beyond in the future.
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So many books offer an experience and whilst they do deliver something, American Dirt does actually  deliver with what I can only describe as a punch right where you feel it most; in the heart. I was so moved by my time with American Dirt upon closing I had to take the rest of the day away from my books. I was so moved and so horrified to think that humans especially those it would seem  in positions of power are part and continue to be apart of the problem with no intention of actually making any real change, instead making things much worse.
I applaud author Jeanine Cummins for writing this book, the research that has gone into this book shines through. I learned so much here I cannot wait to gift this title to anyone and everyone, may I suggest if you’ve heard about the controversy that surrounds this book and aren’t sure I say read it make up your own mind.
I recommend this book to a mature audience and readers who enjoy reading about situations different from their own.