American Dirt - Jeanine Cummins

When I was getting my list of books ready for this year, American Dirt wasn't part of the list. But the book I wanted to read in April was not available at my library and the wait list was ridiculous, so I started a search for a replacement. After searching best novels, I came across this one. There were rave reviews and the book was even part of Oprah's Book Club, though there was some controversy around the book at the time.

American Dirt tells the story of Lydia Perez as she tries to escape Mexico with her young son, Luca. The book opens with a shocking scene of violence. Lydia is at a family celebration, her niece's quinceanera, when her family is murdered by the cartel, Los Jardineros. It is only by chance that she and Luca are spared. Lydia thinks quickly and grabs her mother's shoes and bag before leaving, after realizing she cannot use the family car, or return to her home. It quickly becomes a race against time to get out of Acapulco to escape from the cartel.

The book flashes back to the past where we learn of the comfortable life Lydia and her husband Sebastien lived with their son Luca. Lydia owned a bookstore and Sebastien was a journalist. Sebastien's job as a journalist made life a bit more dangerous, especially when he ran articles about the cartel, but they tried to take precautions. Things became more complicated when Lydia befriended Javier, a regular customer. Lydia and Javier had a wonderful friendship, and bordered on love, especially for Javier. One evening while Lydia and Sebastien were discussing the new cartel, Los Jardineros, she learned that Javier was the jefe, or the leader of the cartel. Lydia could not reconcile this version of Javier with the friend she knew Sebastien wrote an article exposing Javier and after reading it, Lydia felt that Javier would be pleased so they didn't take extra precaution like they usually did. This proves to be a fatal mistake that results in Lydia and Luca running for their lives.

Lydia and Luca have several close calls as they escape from Acapulco to Mexico City and just when you think they will get out of the country, they are denied a flight because Luca doesn't have a passport or a birth certificate. Lydia has to find another way out. Driving isn't an option because there are often road blocks and she has no way of knowing if the road blocks are done by officials or cartels, or officials being bribed by cartels. She has only one hope and that is to ride the La Bestia, the train that goes North to the US. This is a dangerous choice, especially with a child. They have to find the right train, and then somehow get onto the top of it, always being aware of the police who will arrest the migrants.

Early into their journey, they meet sisters, Soledad and Rebeca, who left their home in the cloud forest of Honduras. They end up sticking together for the entire journey, helping each other when needed. The sister's story is tragic as well, just like all the migrants. Along the way, they also run into a boy, Lorenzo, who claims he is running from gang life in the Los Jadineros. He keeps turning up in the same places as Lydia, and while she gets some information from him, she is wary of him and his motives.

This books was written beautifully and stayed with us long after we finished. We are so lucky to live in safe countries where it seems unlikely we will ever have to face the challenges people go through just to have a safe place to live. Of course our discussion took a turn towards politics of both the US and Canada and their attitudes towards immigrants. Both the US and Canada were built on immigration and it's interesting to see how the countries have diverged on the issue. At this time, Canada seems to be a much more welcoming place, but the barriers in place for people to get good jobs when they get here seem far too high.

We both enjoyed this one and found it very thought provoking. I had a bit of a harder time getting through the book and would often put it down after only a short time reading, which is very unlike me. I'm not quite sure why I found it so difficult, maybe the subject was too heavy, maybe I found the pace too slow, I'm not sure, but it took me a long time to really get into it. Jen didn't have the same issues as I did getting through it. If you're looking for a more serious novel with beautiful writing, give this one a try.