Dang that was crazy.

At first I read this book as a completely fictitious account not at all inspired by a true story, but throughout most of it I was like wow the addition of the newspapers and “eyewitness” accounts really made it more realistic. But afterward I was like… well how much of that was fiction, and how much of it was real? I tried to look up the case that inspired this book because I wanted to know more details but I couldn’t find much about it, or how much was fictitious or inspired by the actual events.

The backstories of each of the characters were absolutely brutal and the abuse and violent actions that they took were difficult for me to read about, but I think they provided background for why they were on this robbery and what led them to being the people they were. The author didn’t shy away from any of the details. For me, one of the characters that stood out the most was Dorda simply because the audience got more of an inside look into his head and because there was so much that went into making him the character that he was. The moment between him and Brignone at the end was kind of a break in the madness or the chaos of the rest of the heightened action and was just a very tender and interesting moment that also stood out to me.

I honestly really liked this book but it made me question myself because I was wondering about this line between truth and fiction and if it was a completely true story, would I be more horrified by the events and less… I don’t know, invested in the characters? I feel like there was a degree of separation between the characters and me and reality, so I was able to immerse myself in the story, but afterward I was like… should I have liked that book so much? What are the moral implications of being so invested in morally grey characters?! But also, I think that’s kind of the point of these books is to bring the reader along on the journey and the adventure, and in this case, the reader understands that their mission or the story is doomed, like Dorda says of himself: “I’ve been a lost soul from the very start” (58). Still, I wondered who was going to make it out, or if they were going to succeed at escaping with the money.

My question for the class is: why/why didn’t you enjoy this book, and which character’s story were you most invested/interested in?

Memorable quote: “They’ve got no normal sense of danger, they carry death in their bloodstream” (163).

Here is yet another stream of book related emojis:

Also book rec: YA book Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo has the same elements of the squad of people doing a heist but it’s set in a fantasy world with very compelling characters.

That’s all for now.

Peace,

Maia