'As somebody who knows more about Latin American culture, and Mexico in particular, I found it a bit of a slog because there are many errors, there are many inconsistencies, the Spanish is very stilted, and the characters are very stereotypical,' she said. She spent 18 years in the US, including conducting research in New York City with Mexican migrants. Sujatha Fernandes, a writer and sociologist at the University of Sydney, is reviewing the novel for the Sydney Review of Books. ' perceives her own country through the eyes of a pearl-clutching American tourist.' She called the characterisation of Lydia, the mother, 'absurd', and said the book, which 'bombards with cliches from the get-go', 'fails to convey any Mexican sensibility'. In the lead-up to the publication, as the book was appearing on most-anticipated lists, a major marketing campaign was underway and a movie adaptation was revealed, the Mexican-American writer Myriam Gurba penned a harsh essay on the book. 'This is the international story of our times.' Where did the backlash come from? 'This book is not simply the great American novel it's the great novel of las Americas,' Cisneros said. Strong early reviews came not just from King and John Grisham but from the Mexican-American writer Sandra Cisneros. The novel was hailed as an 'unforgettable' page turner that would pull you in from the first page. She has said that she wanted to humanise those people who cross the border fleeing violence - to bring into focus, at a time of strong political rhetoric, what she called a 'faceless brown mass'. What is the book?Īmerica Dirt is described by its Australian publisher Hachette as 'the unforgettable story of a mother and son fleeing a drug-cartel to cross the US-Mexico border'.Ĭummins, who grew up in the US with Irish and Puerto Rican heritage, spent time on the border speaking with migrants, lawyers and aid workers while writing the book. Now, with a book tour cancelled over security concerns and a publisher regretting its 'insensitive' marketing material, the novel has become the latest flashpoint in a recurring debate about which stories are given prominence in popular culture - and who gets to tell them. It got hype from The New York Times (which allocated space for two reviews), a blurb line from Stephen King, and the holy grail in book marketing: a spot on Oprah's book club. US author Jeanine Cummins's book had sold to publisher Flatiron for a reported seven-figure advance.

She was talking about American Dirt, the first blockbuster novel of 2020 and her latest pick for her book club. 'I was opened, I was shook up,' she said. Oprah, in typical Oprah style, could barely contain her emotions.

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