American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Published by Flatiron Books ISBN 9781250209764
Hardcover, $26.99, 400 pages

Sometimes when I hear that a book has a lot of buzz around it, I am cautious about reading it, fearing it can't possibly live up to the hype. At last year's Book Expo America, one of the books that was getting a lot of buzz was American Dirt, a novel by Jeanine Cummins.

Set in Mexico, it tells the story of Lydia, a bookstore owner married to a journalist, and mother to their eight year-old son Luca. The book opens with five pages that hook and horrify the reader. Lydia's entire family is brutally murdered by a drug cartel. Lydia and Luca, hiding in the shower, are the only survivors.

Lydia knows that she must take Luca and run. Javier, the head of the cartel, will be after them as well now. She doesn't know whom to trust, and therefore cannot trust anyone. She cannot mourn her family or worry about how Luca is feeling- "She doesn't ask if he is okay because from now on that question will carry a weight of painful absurdity."

The story flashes backward so we see how Lydia came to be in this situation. Her family had a good life, she loved her husband, and they were happy. But if you end up in the crosshairs of the drug cartel, you are in danger.

Lydia decides the fastest, safest way to get to the United States border is to hop a train. They meet two teenage sisters, Soledad and Rebeca, who show them how to drop from an overpass onto the top of the train, where they find an entire community of migrants fleeing danger and poverty.

Their journey is long and dangerous. They must hide from the cartel and the police. Javier has tentacles that reach far into Mexico, and there is a bounty on Lydia's head.

There are many people who show the migrants kindness. At one shelter for the migrants, a nun offers Lydia advice and a place to stay for a few days, and warns Lydia to be careful who she talks to. At many points along the way, there are kind people who offer them refuge, food and kindness.

But there are also people who will take advantage. Lydia has a good sum of money with her and she is warned that at some point she will be robbed. Women are particularly vulnerable, and Lydia becomes protective of Soledad and Rebeca during an frightening encounter. The humanity of some people versus the inhumanity of others is a thought-provoking concept here.

Cummins writes a heart-pounding and heartbreaking story. She combines a propulsive thriller with a timely take on an issue that gives the reader a look into people who are forced to flee their homes to save their lives. Their resolve and resourcefulness is amazing.

American Dirt is simply one of the best novels I have read in a long time. Lydia and Luca are unforgettable characters, and you will furiously turn the pages to find out what happens to them. If you only read a few books this year, be sure one of them is American Dirt. I give it my highest recommendation.

Friday 5ive- January 10, 2020

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly blog post about five things that caught my attention during the week. It's back to NYC and work for us this week, so it's been all about catching up- with mail, bills, taking down our Christmas tree and decorations- you know, the fun stuff.

1) Last year, our family all got Peleton bikes- between our family and friends, we have nine bikes! It's fun to ride together and it keeps everyone on their toes (if they are out of the saddle, as it's called.) This year, everyone got Nixplay digital photo frames. Years ago we had a digital photo frame that you had to put a memory card in. The new technology uses WiFi, and the great feature is that you can instantly send a photo to other people's Nixplay. It's fun to see a photo pop up from a family member, and we get so much enjoyment from watching ours and remembering all the good times. We got my mom one for Christmas and I had a blast loading up family photos- it's so easy too, just click on your desired photo on your Iphone and the option to send it to the Nixplay app pops right up. Our extended family now has ten of them. You can find more information at their website here.

A Nixplay photo from our son's wedding

2) A new year means setting new goals, and readers are big on doing that. TaviaReads (the host of the BookClubGirl podcast) on Instagram posted this graphic where people can share their #TBR2020 (To Be Read) goals, and mine is below. So far I have read 5 books, including the first Elena Ferrante Neapolitan series, My Brilliant Friend. I'm off to a good start, I'll keep you posted on my progress. You can go here to get your copy of it on Instagram, just follow the instructions.

3) The royal family of Great Britain is in the news this week, so I guess we may have been prescient when we created a royal family display at the Book Cellar two weeks ago. (Thanks to the people who donated the three beautiful royal family photo books.) Now I have to catch up on The Crown on Netflix, I'm only in the middle of season two.

4) My husband and I are big fans of CBS' Bob (Hearts) Abishola. It's a funny sitcom about a 50 year-old man who owns a family-run compression sock business. When he has a heart attack, his nurse is a younger Nigerian woman, Abishola. Bob (played by Billy Gardell from Mike & Molly) is smitten with Abishola (played by Folake Olowofoyeku, with a fabulous sense of timing and deadpan humor), and she likes him too. Their romance is sweet, and the supporting characters are wonderful, including the amazing Christine Ebersole as Bob's mother, a woman who speaks her mind. In trying times, it's good to have a little lightness. Give it a try, it's on Mondays. 

5) I finished two books this week- Matt Norman's Last Couple Standing, about a group of eight friends from college, who all paired up and married. Now years later, three of the couples are divorced, and Jessica and Mitch are the last couple standing. They fear for their marriage and decide that the best way to avoid divorce is to have sex with other people- with strict rules. You can imagine it doesn't work out quite the way they hoped. I liked Norman's novel, Domestic Violets, and had high hopes for this one that he more than lived up to. It publishes in March, I'll post a full review then. 

I also finished the first book in Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan series, My Brilliant Friend, the first of four books about a lifelong friendship between two women- Lila and Elena, in Naples, Italy. Everyone I know has read this series, so I thought I'd better catch up. It took me along time to get into this book, but about 100 pages in and I was hooked. The characters are indelible and the writing is superb. I hope to finish all four this year. (It's also an HBO series.)

One of the most highly promoted books at the Book Expo this past May was Jeanine Cummins' American Dirt, about a woman who has to leave her native Mexico for the United States with her young son after her family is killed by a drug cartel. Stephen King blurbed that "I defy anyone to read the first seven pages and not finish it" and he nailed it. The first chapter is so harrowing, and 100 pages in and it is heart-pounding and heartbreaking. This book lives up to the hype so far, I can't wait to finish it. It publishes January 21.

Have a good week, I hope your 2020 is off to a great start.