American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins is a harrowing and emotional novel that follows a Mexican woman, Lydia, and her son, Luca, as they flee a drug cartel boss and undertake a dangerous journey north toward the U.S. border in search of safety and freedom. Lydia and her family live in Acapulco and love their life there—until her husband, Sebastián, publishes an article about a local cartel boss named Javier. When Javier reads the article, he is enraged and retaliates by massacring Lydia’s entire family. By a stroke of luck, Lydia and Luca survive and are forced to flee. They soon find themselves among countless others making the perilous trek toward the United States.
I meant to read this novel years ago when it was first published. I remember the controversy surrounding it at the time, but for this review, I’m focusing solely on my personal thoughts about the book itself. I found it to be beautifully written and emotionally impactful. It felt well-researched, as expounded on by the author, and the storytelling was so vivid that I felt like I was experiencing part of the journey alongside Lydia and Luca.
The characters were well-developed and likable, and I admired how Lydia and Luca found the strength to push forward after enduring such unimaginable trauma. That said, without giving away spoilers, I would have liked more detail about what happened to them at the end. The novel focuses heavily on the journey rather than the destination, and while that approach was powerful, I think a few more moments of hope or resolution would have added emotional balance after so much hardship.
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