First of all, I thank Havelock & Baker publishing house for providing me with a review copy.
The author has taken up a unique subject and the story is based on personal experience, it’s about the government and guerilla fight in the Amazon forests. It’s a story of Columbia.
The father of Pedro was killed by the Guerilla commandos in front of his eyes. His crime was to supply material to the government. What material did he supply?
The answer was water! His father said it was against humanity if he denied water to someone thirsty.
“It was cold when first light appeared on the Horizon. My watch alarm sounded. it was Thursday 5:45 a.m. that day’s exam was in history. I was still dressed for school in my blood-soaked uniform. I hadn’t slept for 24 hours, but I didn’t feel tired. the adrenaline was still pumping. The Shock was still rattling. And the sadness was still burning, small and blue and quiet like a gas pilot light that could burst into angry flame at the slightest of a dial.”
Llorona was a small but prosperous town perfectly set in a river valley in a Colombian province. Pedro joined the Paramilitary to take revenge on the killers of his father. He and his friend joined the base and face rigorous training. There were one hundred and four recruits- ninety-nine boys and five girls. They came from all over Columbia.
They restricted themselves to shrugs and mumbles.
I found the book quite lengthy and this is a drawback, but the story and message that this lengthy book wants to tell to the world is something that can hegemonize this drawback. It is written in simple and lucid prose, so moving fast won’t be an issue, it’s quite absorbing at places and there are some shocking disclosures. There is some fact and there is some fiction, characters are also interesting. There is some teenage love and friendship and also some very violent bloody scenes, the logic behind many sequences have been maintained.
This is an action-packed revenge thriller. I would recommend this book for witnessing a unique tale, inspired by real life. Author Rusty Young worked secretly for the US govt in Colombia for four years and was shocked to know the stories of the child -soldiers he encountered there, so through this book he has tried to let their voices heard, with his absorbing storytelling!
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