Fascinating, eye-opening, and impossible to put down
I was hooked from the very first page. Like many of the best novels, _American Dirt_ begins in the middle of the action with the cartel-ordered massacre of a journalist’s family in retaliation for an exposé on a cartel leader. The only survivors are the journalist’s wife and their eight-year-old son, and we follow their harrowing journey as they flee thousands of miles toward the U.S. border in search of safety.
Along the way, we meet a host of other migrants, each with their own deeply personal and often heartbreaking stories. The author does a brilliant job of revealing the shades of humanity in every character, whether they’re victims, fellow travellers, or even members of the cartel. No one is painted as entirely good or entirely evil; instead, we see complex people grappling with choices in impossible circumstances.
This novel is fascinating, eye-opening, and impossible to put down. A true edge-of-your-seat read that I devoured in just a few days.