These were some messed up characters. Like I don’t even know what to think about them…or even about this book for that matter. Also, why is that we haven’t read a single novel yet with a normal character?? Like no matter what anyone says all the characters we’ve read so far have been messed up in one way or another. However, I will say Malito’s character was a lot more sane and probably my favourite character in the entire novel. They were all morally ambiguous characters but he was my faveeeee (this blog post is basically gonna be a Malito fan account).
I think what really drew me into him was when his character was introduced, with the description of “He possessed a god of his own to watch over him. And a halo of perfection which led to everyone wanting to work with him,” (pg.9). I mean come on now, who wouldn’t be intrigued by a character like that?? He was such a fascinating and complex figure within the criminal underworld, even if he was somewhat…immoral.
Despite his role as a gangster, he was rational and had a strategic mindset, something I didn’t really expect from the characters we were introduced to. The other characters were all driven by impulse or greed, but Maltio had a much more calmer..ish approach that was based on thorough, calculated thinking (I mean makes sense…he was like the boss). Moreover, another aspect that truly fascinated me was how his character was able to navigate the murky water of the criminal world, while also mainting some semblance of integrity. He did bend the rules and was more than willing to commit crimes, but even then he maintained some control….moral compass???. I don’t really know what else to say about him, I just found him to be such a stark contrast from the other characters. Maybe I just find morally ambiguous individuals fascinating.
Moving on from Malito (*frowny face*), I will say I did not enjoy this book. I thought it was going to be more thrilling because of the bank robbery but sadly it wasn’t. I feel like the storyline was interesting but just wasn’t executed well enough, but oh well you can’t like every book. The only thing keeping me going was my love for Malito.
Question to think about: A bit of a simple question this week, but did you have a favourite character in this novel or someone you strongly hated? If so, who?
Love for Malito? That really surprises me! None of the characters in this novel are sane. And this includes Renzi, the journalist. The need to know everything about the case, to record the details, gives us some obsessive vibes. On the other hand, the tension in the novel, towards the end, grows brutally. If so, was there anything thrilling in the last few pages?
Hey! I totally get what you’re saying about the characters in our books. They’re all pretty complex, aren’t they? Your love for Malito really shines through, and I can see why! A character who’s got their own personal god and everyone wants to work with them sounds super interesting. Malito being calm, smart, and still kind of good, even when he’s doing bad stuff, makes him stand out from the rest.
My favorite characters were Dorda and Nene Brignone, Dorda in particular because he’s been failed by the world and he is just such a complex character!
I cannot believe that you like Malito Alizey- I thought they described him as a rat looking man and also just to remind you he’s still a killer and potentially a rat considering he didn’t show up in the end..but anyways to each their own (what if I told you my fav was Silvia). I do somewhat get the attraction though; compared to the utter chaos and embodiment of sin that these other characters more sore embodied, he presented himself as an anomaly. And I actually agree that the writing of the thriller aspects of the book were somewhat lacklustre but after the class I get a bigger sense that it was a lot of things disguised to just be a thriller book, and that might make it more intentional.
Hi Alizey! I completely get your love for Malito. Something about a calm, strategic leader that makes him different from the usual criminal, these characters tend to be the coolest and fan favorites. I was thinking of Gus from Breaking Bad or the professor from Money Heist!! I know he sort of runs away, leaving his gang at the end but not knowing what happened to him adds to his mysterious character.