Beyond the Robbery – Money to Burn

While reading this book, I had to continuously remind myself that this is based on a true story as I would always seem to forget. This book, which was about an armed gang who stole 7 million Argentine pesos and escaped from Buenos Aires where the whole robbery took place and fled to Montevideo, Uruguay seemed a little insane and unrealistic to me, even though this very much happened in real life. 

Instantly, when reading this novel, we were introduced to many different characters, which isn’t really what we’re used to with the books we have read in this class. For example, in Agostino, we’re instantly just introduced to a mother and son. Furthermore, throughout the whole book, I definitely felt that I was submerged into this violent almost never ending crime scene. I had the feeling I was right there with the desperados. Additionally, despite it’s relentless pace and frequent bursts of violence and chaos, this book maintains clarity throughout. The narrative is quite easily understandable and allows readers to effortlessly follow along instead of making the reader unravel complex mysteries or piece together obscure clues. 

There are many complex characters in this book and what peaked my interest was the way Piglia portrayed them all to be. Dorda, who’s also known as the Blond Guacho, is influenced by his pathological mentality and the voices he hears. It was interesting how a psychiatrist is intrigued by Dorda’s case and conducts tests and hypnotherapy sessions to explore the themes of the voices he listens to, which sounds a little bit like a case of someone is a borderline psychopath. On the other hand, a female character who we are introduced to, Blanca Galeano, a young girl who when starts to become associated with these criminals, her life takes a turn for the worse. It was interesting yet sad seeing her dynamic with these drug-happy bandits as the way men talk about women in this book is a little disturbing. “Want something, Doll?” Asked the Gauncho which then he later says to her “Give us a kiss”.  There’s a certain crude description after these sentences which is a little uncomfortable to say the least and took me by surprise. While the novel primarily focuses on themes of crime, deception, and power struggles, the portrayal of women adds layers of depth to the story. 

Furthermore, most of these criminals’ use of drugs is excessive and quite alarming. At one point in the novel, we find out that Crow Mereles is heavily sedated with Florinol, which is a drug I’ve never even heard of before. Later on in the novel, Dorda, is drugged up with both speed and cocaine. I guess this heavy substance use may serve to underscore the dark and gritty nature of the narrative. 

The ending was definitely my favourite part. Money, despite it’s tangible nature, holds such strong symbolic power, especially in this novel, shaping human relationships and driving the motivations of characters. It serves as a catalyst for greed, leading characters to pursue illicit activities and take major risks in pursuit of wealth. Money, in this novel, serves as a driving force that propels the narrative forward. The climax of this story reveals true nature of money’s power. The criminals’ decision to burn all of the money, knowing their fate, is an example of how money ultimately loses its significance in the face of impending consequences.

While this book wasn’t my favourite out of all the books we’ve read so far in this class, I definitely feel that it was the easiest read with the craziest plot. The combination of this easy to follow narrative and gripping plot definitely made this book stand out.

The ending of the book involves the burning of all the stolen money. What do you think this act symbolizes?