American Dirt: Genre 1 key example

As a novel, American Dirt engages with several subgenres. For one, American Dirt is a thriller. From the massacre onwards, Lydia and Luca are in constant danger. They must avoid the persecution of Los Jardineros at the same time as they must dodge the other dangers of the journey: falling off La Bestia, apprehension by immigration officers, dramatic floods, and interpersonal violence. The fast pace, high stakes, and heart-pounding, suspenseful feel of the novel solidifies its status as a thriller. 

Additionally, given the subject matter, American Dirt is a piece of migrant literature. This genre specifically engages with ideas of displacement and the loss of identity as a result of moving from one place to another. 

Finally, American Dirt belongs to a literary tradition of narratives about journeying. Many significant pieces of canonical literature, from The Odyssey by Homer to The Road by Cormac McCarthy, follow a character or characters who undertake a journey. Lydia and Luca's journey fits into this genre of novel, in which characters meet obstacles along the way and develop in response to them.