American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins – Reviewed by Guy Portman
When Lydia’s journalist husband and family are murdered by a cartel, she and her eight-year-old son are forced to flee Acapulco. The pair embark on an epic journey north to the US, where the traumatised mother hopes to start a new life. But in order to get there, they must endure the infamous freight train route La Bestia, face nefarious immigration police, and deal with a conniving cartel member. Along the way they form close bonds with their fellow travellers.
This fast-paced and suspenseful book adeptly weaves the oft-told Central American migrant tale with human interest, in the form of a mother and son. The author unashamedly kicks off her novel with tabloidesque writing, designed to shock her audience. While this feels parasitical, it is certainly propulsive.
Criticisms include some details seeming unrealistic and the overabundance of backstories. However, for the most part this reader found American Dirt to be well-paced, structurally sound and utterly engrossing.
