This week’s book, Money to Burn, is a novel based on a true story by Argentine author Ricardo Piglia. Compared to the previous novels that we have read, this one is completely different as it diverges from the topics such as coming-of-age. This novel recounts the shocking bank robbery that happened in 1965 in Buenos Aires. In this story, Piglia details the events of plotting the raid, to the actual events that occurred during as they executed their plan, to how the police officer Silva conducted the investigation, and finally to how the gang’s hideout was discovered by the Argentine police.
Although I found the story itself to be interesting, I didn’t really enjoy reading the novel. The multiple nicknames that characters were given in the novel was one element that caused confusion and made it difficult to read. In the beginning we were introduced to the characters’ names, however, they started being referred to by their nicknames as the plot developed. I had a really hard time keeping track of who was who, and I think this also complicated the plot. The narrator does at times part from the main plot by delving into personal stories of the characters. Although these stories help develop the characters’ qualities, personally I realized that I felt lost in terms of which direction the story is heading towards.
One aspect that I found to be very intriguing is that Piglia tells a true story but chooses the form of the novel to carry out this event while also adding fictional elements. Learning about this robbery from the news would feel quite dull because the sole purpose of it is to inform its readers about events that are happening. The gang’s actions would be viewed as outrageous by the audience, but the characters of the criminals themselves are quite bland. They are only depicted as people who have committed an outrageous crime. In this novel, Piglia gives a lot of attention to the characters’ mindsets and stories of their past. He provides readers with the insight of the fears and desires that belong to the actors involved in the bank robbery. Piglia manages to take advantage of the fictional element and develop a news story into a compelling exploration of human nature and morality.
Question for this week: What are your thoughts on how Piglia makes use of fiction to tell a true story?
“how the gang’s hideout was discovered by the Argentine police.”
Except that it’s not the Argentine police that discover them, is it?
I’m also a little surprised that the nicknames confused you… there weren’t that many. There’s the “Gaucho” Dorda, the “Kid” Bignone, and “Crow” Mireles. These are the principal actors, who end up in the siege. And the book is pretty consistent in giving them these names. If anything. what’s interesting is the moment in which, for the first and last time, we learn Dorda’s real name. When does this happen?
“the characters of the criminals themselves are quite bland.”
I’m not sure about this, either. I’d say that Bignone and (perhaps above all) Dorda are anything but bland! What do we learn about their personalities?
¨…the characters of the criminals themselves are quite bland.¨ Personally, I think it is very complicated to write about this type of characters, especially because of their social origins and complicated life stories…. and because they are based on real people. It doesn’t surprise me that it took Piglia so many decades to find the right way to tell this story. If you had to write this book, what would you have liked to highlight more?