Lydia Perez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. Lydia unknowingly befriends the jefe of the newest drug cartel when he begins to frequent her bookstore. They discover that they share a love of many of the same books and develop an intense friendship. But after her husband publishes an article about this man’s drug cartel, catastrophe and horror strike, forcing Lydia and her eight-year-old son to run for their lives, making their way north to the United States.

This is a page turner from the start. I couldn’t put it down. Although it’s a novel, I feel like I have a much greater appreciation for the plight of all migrants. I was deeply moved.