We decided to read the brilliant book American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins and what a book it was. Compelling and vivid, we found it hard not to spend dawn to dusk reading this book.

Following the tale of Lydia and her son Luca, who are sole survivors in an attack on her husband due to his publishing an expose piece on a cartel boss, we witness a story go from harmony to utter chaos. It was difficult not to find this novel heart wrenching and emotional. As a story about Mexican immigration, this is one to remember.

As they travel through the north in order to seek refuge in Mexico City (and often by foot) they are captured by immigrant agents and forced to pay for their release.

The people they meet on their journey are crucial to the plot and play a huge role in emphasising the difficult journey many people have to take in order to flee dismay and terror in their home country.

With an ending that will leave you feeling happy, the story will remain with you as harrowing. This book was a real wake up call for those of us who have not had to endure such difficult and painful situations or traumatic circumstances such as this.

Jeanine Cummins really made this book come to life with every page. We could visualise everything so vividly from the bullets in the bathroom to the sisters of beauty, the immigrant trains and not to mention the walk in the desert. It truly did capture our attention from the outset.

If you are looking for something compelling and heart wrenching that will literally bring a tear to your eye – you are going to love this book. We would absolutely love to see this produced as a film or even better… a sequel!!

Here’s what some other readers had to say about it:

“Found the book so relatable to stories growing up” – Betsy

“I found it to be a deeply harrowing story that I just could not put down” – Eva

“I would give it 9 out of 10 great read” – Pauline

“I’m really gripped by the characters” – Tricia

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Visit Jeanine Cummins website here and find out more about her.