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American Dirt
On sale
21st January 2020
Price: £18.99
*NOW A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME*
‘Breathtaking… I haven’t been so entirely consumed by a book for years’ Telegraph
‘I’ll never stop thinking about it’ Ann Patchett
FEAR KEEPS THEM RUNNING. HOPE KEEPS THEM ALIVE.
Vivid, visceral, utterly compelling, AMERICAN DIRT is an unforgettable story of a mother and son’s attempt to cross the US-Mexico border. Described as ‘impossible to put down’ (Saturday Review) and ‘essential reading’ (Tracy Chevalier), it is a story that will leave you utterly changed.
Yesterday, Lydia had a bookshop.
Yesterday, Lydia was married to a journalist.
Yesterday, she was with everyone she loved most in the world.
Today, her eight-year-old son Luca is all she has left.
For him, she will carry a machete strapped to her leg.
For him, she will leap onto the roof of a high speed train.
For him, she will find the strength to keep running.
‘Breathtaking… I haven’t been so entirely consumed by a book for years’ Telegraph
‘I’ll never stop thinking about it’ Ann Patchett
FEAR KEEPS THEM RUNNING. HOPE KEEPS THEM ALIVE.
Vivid, visceral, utterly compelling, AMERICAN DIRT is an unforgettable story of a mother and son’s attempt to cross the US-Mexico border. Described as ‘impossible to put down’ (Saturday Review) and ‘essential reading’ (Tracy Chevalier), it is a story that will leave you utterly changed.
Yesterday, Lydia had a bookshop.
Yesterday, Lydia was married to a journalist.
Yesterday, she was with everyone she loved most in the world.
Today, her eight-year-old son Luca is all she has left.
For him, she will carry a machete strapped to her leg.
For him, she will leap onto the roof of a high speed train.
For him, she will find the strength to keep running.
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Reviews
One hell of a novel about a good woman on the run with her beautiful boy... I defy anyone to read the first seven pages of this book and not finish it
From its heart-stopping first sentence to its heart-shattering last, Cummins' story of immigrants is just what we need now
Urgent and unforgettable, AMERICAN DIRT leaps the borders of the page and demands attention, especially now
Riveting, timely, a dazzling accomplishment. Jeanine Cummins makes us all live and breathe the refugee story. If a book can change hearts and transform policies, this is the one
It's been a long time since I turned pages as fast as I did with American Dirt. Its journey is a testament to the power of fear and hope and belief that there are more good people than bad.
Heartstopping... doesn't let up... you will urge them on, fists clenched
From the opening page your heart will be in your mouth You will never want to put this story down, Jeanine Cummins has written a novel of such moment, such danger and such compassion, it will change your view of the world
AMERICAN DIRT transported me through genuine fear and had me willing on every human being struggling to get to a better life. Written with masterly restraint, it is a roaring human triumph
This book is not simply the great American novel; it's the great novel of las Americas. It's the great world novel! This is the international story of our times. Masterful
Both a moral compass and a riveting read
I devoured the novel in a dry-eyed adrenalin rush... profoundly moving
Devastating and timely... heartwrenching'
Taut, tough, visceral, savage and exhilaratingly written
Stunning... remarkable... an account of love on the run that will never lose steam
Devastating and timely... its hard to imagine there will be a more urgent or politically relevant novel this year
This might be the first book many people read this year... it might also be the best