First published 2019
Lydia and her eight-year-old son Luca flee their comfortable life in Mexico after a drug cartel kills Lydia's journalist husband. They join a migrant caravan bound for the United States, facing treacherous conditions and ruthless smugglers along the way. As they journey north, the bond between mother and son is tested to its limits. American Dirt is a propulsive, character-driven story about the unimaginable choices people make to find safety.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, american-fiction, crime, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, family-drama, found-family, survival
Setting: Acapulco, Mexico, Latin America
400 pages · Headline Publishing Group
Content warnings: violence