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A review by spectracommunist
Any Day You Can Die: The Medellín Story by Thommy Waite
3.0
This book can be divided into two parts:
The first part is heavily travel-centric, revolving from party to party in the drug-fuelled Medellín and some other places in C0lumbia. It's kinda plotless in a good way, a hedonistic kicks-seeking wild ride that reminded me of On the Road. Although, you get to know about the protagonist Tony's circle and how he bonds up with them.
The second part begins when Tony starts his business on the dark web. This part is a bit Breaking Bad-esque really plot-driven and there are some vicious consequences to Tony's self-centred attitude.
I really liked the transition from the first part to the second, how Tony's a bit dormant egoistic attitude becomes more visible to his circle when he gets incredibly rich. I also liked how the prose describes certain songs that are playing in the background which added more context and vibe to the scene.
I'd say I really liked the first part to explore Medellín culturally in the text. The second part was easier to follow and there were some mystery elements to it. The overall book is incredibly fast-paced and I think this pacing made it a bit harder for characters to reflect more on the situations that they were getting themselves into. I liked the overall ensemble of relationship dynamics in the story but I wasn't invested in the protagonist or any character in particular.
On the transgressive side, I think there could've been more context on the motivations or lack of motivations thereof for Tony with a bit more complex character arc. Although, there was a really indispensable Freudian analysis on one of the traits.
I'd like to conclude that this book does have the potential to draw in the imagination and fascination of a segment of readers. So if you like something fast-paced vicarious trip to Medellín party scene and you'd like elements of On the Road, Breaking Bad, and American Psycho weaved in together then I'd recommend this book to you.
The first part is heavily travel-centric, revolving from party to party in the drug-fuelled Medellín and some other places in C0lumbia. It's kinda plotless in a good way, a hedonistic kicks-seeking wild ride that reminded me of On the Road. Although, you get to know about the protagonist Tony's circle and how he bonds up with them.
The second part begins when Tony starts his business on the dark web. This part is a bit Breaking Bad-esque really plot-driven and there are some vicious consequences to Tony's self-centred attitude.
I really liked the transition from the first part to the second, how Tony's a bit dormant egoistic attitude becomes more visible to his circle when he gets incredibly rich. I also liked how the prose describes certain songs that are playing in the background which added more context and vibe to the scene.
I'd say I really liked the first part to explore Medellín culturally in the text. The second part was easier to follow and there were some mystery elements to it. The overall book is incredibly fast-paced and I think this pacing made it a bit harder for characters to reflect more on the situations that they were getting themselves into. I liked the overall ensemble of relationship dynamics in the story but I wasn't invested in the protagonist or any character in particular.
On the transgressive side, I think there could've been more context on the motivations or lack of motivations thereof for Tony with a bit more complex character arc. Although, there was a really indispensable Freudian analysis on one of the traits.
I'd like to conclude that this book does have the potential to draw in the imagination and fascination of a segment of readers. So if you like something fast-paced vicarious trip to Medellín party scene and you'd like elements of On the Road, Breaking Bad, and American Psycho weaved in together then I'd recommend this book to you.