Ooof.. what an intense book! I need to collect my thoughts before I start on a full review. To be honest, I was kind of in a reading slump when I sat down to read this, so it took me quite a while, as it's also very long. But as I got through the first few chapters, I couldn't put it down.
The writing style is engaging and the story is just.. intense. It's based on real events and I feel the book is very well researched. Even though I would have probably skipped this book if I saw it in the bookstore, I loved reading it and it got me thinking. More thoughts later.

Wow. This book was gripping, tragic, gruesome yet I’m so glad I read it. It’s not an easy read, with vivid detail about a horrendous civil war, made all the more upsetting by the fact that the author had based the novel on interviews with child soldiers.
I would stop reading feeling unable to carry on but would inevitably find myself drawn back, riveted by a genuine empathy for and desire to know what happened to the characters.
I honestly didn’t know if I would be able to finish reading it but I’m so glad I did - stick with it, its worth it!
I received a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

First, I would like to thank Havelock & Baker Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. In this case, providing such a review is a delight.

“They came on a Wednesday to execute my father.”

So begins Rusty Young’s new novel about the conflict in Colombia between the army, paramilitary forces, guerrilla forces, and drug lords. Told from the perspective of fifteen-year-old Pedro who joins the paramilitary forces (Autodefensa) after witnessing his father’s execution by guerrilla forces, this novel offers a vivid and chilling account of one child’s loss of innocence against the backdrop of a war that forces civilians to choose sides:

“Both the army and the guerillas would ask if you had milk, rice, sugar, or cooking oil to spare… If you said, ‘Sorry, I have nothing to spare, they might search your property and prove you were lying. But if you gave them something and your neighbor snitched, the other side could accuse you of collaborating with the enemy.

Traitor, if you do, liar if you don’t. Either way you are jodido.

That’s what you foreigners and people from the big cities don’t understand. No matter how hard you, you can’t remain neutral. Eventually you have to pick a side. And if you don’t, one will be picked for you. As it was for me.”

For Pedro, that side is the Autodefensa, the paramilitary forces that have a loose alliance with the army and which he believes affords him the best opportunity to find “justice” for his father’s death and his mother’s banishment from the family finca. The reader follows Pedro on his journey from bootcamp to child soldier commanding other children in battle, where many will die. We see Pedro learn to kill and watch helplessly as he becomes emotionally numb to killing. And yet, the author also never lets us forget that this is a child who has been forced to grow up too fast. These reminders come in many forms. For example, on his first leave from camp, his former school principle tells him that he was top of his class on the geography exam that he had taken on the same day as his father’s murders. We also see the child in his continued love for his girlfriend and his desire to build a future with her. It is this desire and his hard-earned realization that what he has pursued was not “justice” but revenge that ultimately allows him to begin rebuilding his life, rather than remained trapped in an unending cycle of violence:

“Trigeño had convinced me our war was between good and evil. But I now saw that it was just one big cycle of interconnected violence in a struggle for power, financed by cocaine trafficking…I no longer thought of what I’d been doing as justice, instead I called it by its proper name revenge.”

What makes this novel so powerful is that the author has done his research. As noted in the book’s prologue, Rusty Young spent four months interviewing former child soldiers at an albergue—a halfway house for child soldiers exiting the vicious civil war. He also worked in Colombia as a manager for a US-government counterterrorism program in anti-kidnapping. For those of you who may tremble in fear that this background means that the book has a preachy or journalistic style, you can relax. This is a novel, which from the first sentence immerses you in Pedro’s life and maintains its suspense throughout. At the same time, the author provides the reader, who may know nothing about Colombian history prior to picking up this book, all the necessary history to be able to follow the story line. This history is masterfully provided through the various characters’ voices, so that you never have the feeling that you are reading a dry history or are back in a classroom listening to a lecture.

My only criticism—and it is a small one—concerns the ending. Given the experiences of Pedro and his friends, this novel has a bit too much of a “happily ever after” ending, as it is doubtful that they would be able to put aside their past and embrace their future quite so easily. That said, this book is a must–read, as it paints a complex picture of war, one in which children become the pawns of powerful forces and the lines between good and evil, right and wrong, are not so easy to discern.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review. Personally, I didn't enjoy the book, and didn't finish it. Honestly, I found it boring. The characters are dull, poorly written, and mildly robotic. The pace of the book was very slow moving, and it seemed the same thing happened on every page. There isn't anything dynamic, or gripping to keep the story moving, or to keep the reader interested. The story was missing emotion, character depth, and background information/details.

What a book! It's a must read and It's well researched for what goes on in the story it makes you feel like you are going through this war with these characters! Received from Net Galley . You never really know what goes on in another country and this gives you a idea on what problems that they have on drugs. It was kinda long for me but couldn't quit reading to find out what happens. A boy becomes a man before his time and the emotions are so real! It's a must read!!

*Many thank to Rusty Young, Havelock&Baker Publishing and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
This is a novel that I will remember but I will not reread it at any time in the future. I appreciate the Author's effort to present Columbia most complicated times under FARC. I followed the news regarding this organzation and the brutality of life under its terror, however, this novel opened my eyes to the crude reality that prevailed in those days and what impact it had on ordinary people. The novel tells a story of a boy, Pedro, who, seeking revenge for his father's murder turns into a cruel man, like the man who killed his father. While half way through, I realized that cruelty and easiness to kill or lose one's life became so common that life itself had no value any more. A most terrifyng conclusion to a novel ... 'Colombiano' is an important witness to those times, but the novel is too long, and very much disturbing and upsetting.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Genre:
Contemporary Fiction + Cultural

So many great reviews and a high average rating score for this book. The story, in short, is a tale of revenge carried out by this young boy called Pedro for the brutal murder of his father by the FARC Guerrilla soldiers (a terrorist organization) in Colombia. What Pedro does to avenge the murderers of his father is join FARC Guerrilla's opposition, the Paramilitaries. Throughout the story, we see how this 15-year-old teenager will grow, train and does all that it takes to reach the goal he set for himself.

I have not read books or stories before about Colombia and the crime scene there. All the knowledge I have is basically from a few articles or what comes in the news. The author states at the beginning of this book that this story is a true story narrated to him by Pedro himself. Of course, all the names were changed. And the two terrorist groups have members that reach tens of thousands. This shows the degree of danger people there are living in. Regarding the story itself, I'm not sure what part of it could be a fiction other than the names, but what was fascinating is Pedro's reply when asked why he wanted his story to be told, he said "To help. People need to understand the truth in order to heal their scars".

The story due to its nature has lots of violence, so be warned. I found the shooting scene between the two brothers to be very brutal and frightening. Just imagine this happening to you or before you! There are such scenes that are difficult to read so one has to be cautious. There are some interesting characters in the story other than the main character but the author concentrated more on Pedro as this is his journey, his story. One aspect I feel detached me from the main character was the multiple states of emotions he kept going through. From acting like a teenager to becoming in pain for the loss of his father, then becoming a killer and a part of a gang. I feel the timeframe to achieve all this was not sufficient. Of course, this is his true story and I am not questioning it but I find it a little hard to digest.

Now to the biggest drawback of this book which in my opinion is its length. I call a book big when it is 500 pages or more. And for such books, I tend to question the length when I finish reading it. Since I got a digital copy I am not sure of the exact number of pages here but on Goodreads, it ranges from 700 - 800 pages in total. I feel that 150 - 200 pages could've easily cut from this book without affecting the storyline. Actually this could have been more compact and more gripping. I feel the unnecessary length has dragged the story at some places and made the pace slower for my taste. What compensates the length of the book is the length of the chapters, they are many and short so reading pace might feel a bit faster than usual.

I am glad that I read Colombiano, I liked the story and I wish that I loved it as much as my friends did to be one of my favorite books of the year, but unfortunately, that was not the case. I am giving Colombiano a strong 3.5 stars out of 5.0

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a digital copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Colombiano reads like a mind-blowing true story. A teen, heartbroken by his father's execution at the hands of the Guerrilla, joins the fearsome, powerful opposing paramilitary force, Autodefensas.

We're invited into cutthroat training, promotions, and missions with the understanding of the hidden but ultimate personal goal - eventual revenge upon his father's killers.

Each character (family, friend, commander, etc...) is described and followed so vividly, it's difficult to remember you're reading fiction. Very likely, this story and its characters are a composite of the myriad accounts the author obtained through hundreds of interviews with former child soldiers in paramilitary organizations, villagers under their oppressive control, and veterans of the regular army.

At times, less words would have worked far better - and this is the only thing imperfect about Colombiano.

4 stars.

This is an amazing novel, based in fact, about young Colombian soldiers fighting a very uncivil civil war.

When fifteen-year-old Pedro Gutierrez Gonzalez is forced to watch his beloved father be brutally killed by Guerrilla soldiers, all he can think of is getting revenge. He and his best friend Culebra decide to join the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (the Autodefensa) who are linked but separate from the Colombian Armed Forces--the only organization legally empowered to fight the Guerrilla.

The young recruits, some as young as 11, go through a rigorous and sometimes deadly training. Those who survive, become elite soldiers and commanders. Pedro rises in the ranks quickly. But because he has his own objectives, he has divided loyalties that often conflict with his orders.

"If you want justice in this country--real justice, I mean--you can't wait for the government to do its job. You have to pursue justice yourself." Is it justice Pedro really wants...or revenge? And how low will he stoop to get what he wants? Who then will he be, as a man? Someone his own father would recognize and be proud of?

This is a deep immersion in the bloody civil war that tore Colombia apart for some 30 years. Both Guerrilla forces and Autodefensa took advantage of the deep poverty, hunger and unemployment of the local people to recruit their soldiers. Most were children, some as young as eight. Cocaine often provided the funds for this war.

The story is long and bloody but fascinating. The best part is watching Pedro grow as a person through his experiences and battles. A very different kind of coming of age story.

Many thanks to Lily Green at Havelock and Baker Publishing who invited me to read a copy of this ebook via NetGalley for review.

It's been a few weeks since I read this book - normally if I'm going to leave a review I will do it straight away, but I had a lot going on and just haven't had chance. In a way though, this has actually been a good thing, as it's given me more time to reflect on the story and to realise that this book is one that has stayed with me.

It's a tough read for a couple of reasons... the first is that it shows the harsh reality of life in Colombia, where children are drafted in as soldiers and it's impossible for most people to live a "normal" life where they are not constantly watching their backs and trying to stay out of the way of the guerilla. The second is that it's a LONG book, certainly for me this made it a tough read as it is much longer than anything I normally read.

That said, it's one hell of a read. The characterisation of the protagonist - a child named Pedro - is brilliant. The story spans just a few years but there are way more experiences packed into this few years that most children will have in their entire childhoods. The author does a great job of writing from the perspective of a child thrust into adulthood much sooner than he should be. You can feel the turmoil of Pedro's brain as he battles with his instincts to be with his first love Camila, protect his family and avenge his father's death. And all this in the time of his life where his brain is developing the most! I also really liked the character of his best friend, Palilo, who tries his best to keep Pedro out of trouble and provides a comedic aside to the terrifying things they have to deal with each day. The friendship between the two boys is a strong thread running through the book and acts as an anchor for Pedro.

Despite the harrowing subject matter which was, at times, quite graphic, this was a great read. It loses a star for me only because I do think it was a little long and some of the content could have been reduced without impacting the story. Also, some of the dialogue between Pedro and Camila at the start of the book, when they were 14/15 just didn't ring true for me - it sounded too adult and initially did affect my reading experience. That said, it's definitely a solid 4 stars, probably even 4.5 stars - it's well researched (the author interviewed child soldiers as part of his research), the narrative flows well and I really cared about the characters. I would definitely read more from this author.

Rusty Young was featured on 60 Minutes Australia for his first novel, ‘Marching Powder,’ which has been adapted to film. ‘Colombiano’ is his second book. A graduate from the University of New South Wales, where he studied commerce and law, Young became interested in the story of child soldiers while living and working in Colombia. In the author's prologue to ‘Colombiano,’ Young tells readers that this story is a combination of fact and fiction. As he listened to the stories of the child soldiers, Young became emotionally charged with their stories.

Pedro Gutiérrez, fifteen years old, lives with his mother and father on their finca in Llorona, a fertile land also good for cattle farming. All he cares about is spending time with his girlfriend, Camila, going fishing with his father, and getting good grades at school. Palillo is his best friend, mischievous, but loyal, a step down in social structure because his family owns no land. Pedro knows that the Guerrillas are around. They killed Palillo’s father, but their violence has not directly touched his world...yet. Pedro’s classmates mostly think of the Guerrillas as benevolent because they kidnap wealthy people, holding them for ransom, and steal their lands and farms, as well as, stealing from stores and transportation trucks, giving much to the poor.

Several events will usher Pedro into a world, not of his choosing, a dark, violent place where there is no safety. A neighbor is killed, Palillo tries to join the Paramilitaries, and Padre Rojas is called back to Bogotá. Padre Rojas had a sharp tongue and didn’t mind reprimanding bad behavior, no matter if it was the Guerillas or the Paramilitaries. He was a force that held things in balance; now he is gone. The town is becoming more dangerous; the Guerrillas ever bolder, until the day that twelve of them approach Pedro and his Papá. Pedro witnesses his father’s execution (no spoiler, it’s in the book blurb). Without a home, land, or money, Pedro joins the Autodefensas, a paramilitary group that fights the Guerillas. Along with Palillo, they are sent to a training camp called La 50, a nightmarish place where savage men teach brutality and violence. But, revenge has become Pedro’s modus operandi, so he tolerates everything that happens, and begins the metamorphosis of a child soldier.

This is a lengthy book, almost 700 pages, but I stayed interested. There is graphic violence, which is very disturbing, so I had to have some breaks from the book, but always with the intention to go back and find out what happens to Pedro. Because of this story, I found some clarification of the roles of Guerillas and Paramilitary (or AutoDefensas), which had previously been confusing. Guerillas also espouse Communism, and for this reason, are often hated. Besides, these two groups, there is also the National Army of Colombia. The author did a good job of detailing the roles of all three, but believe me, there is some overlapping as the reader will find. The role of drugs post-Pablo Escobar also proves to be huge, and how this shakes out for a member of Escobar’s Medellín cartel is fascinating. While Pedro’s trade is revenge, many that he will meet will trade in violence, brutality, greed, lies, and corruption.

Many of these young soldiers (male and females) are desperate for money to send to their families, or desperate to escape from bad situations. Little do they know that what they are getting into is a horror story. Suffering from PTSD and with no options once in, they ride the roller coaster of a hellish creation. This is a morality tale of a young man on a quest for vengeance. Who is the fiend? Who is the monster?

Thanks to Havelock & Baker Publishing, Lily Green, and the author, Rusty Young for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I have to blaim thank Don Winslow for my interest in THIS book.
In The Power of the Dog I read about Colombian role in the drug war and when I got the possibility to read about EXACTLY this role in the drug war I couldn't reject.


Colombiano is a VERY thrilling, heartbreaking, shocking, brutal and powerful novel, and even it is a fictional work it appears VERY real.

I have to confess, I know practically nothing about Colombia (except that Shakira came from Colombia, but I still can't imagine how could she survived this county!)

Colombia appears like a different universe to an average European citizen. Well, at least for me. Colombia MEANT (means) DRUGS, CARTELS, DEATH, in other words, not a country you can plan for your next vacation.

I remember the headlines about the female politician that was rescued by Colombian security forces six and a half years later after her kidnapping. For me (as an average European citizen) Colombia is(was) a country I try to avoid. So faaar away, so different from an European standard, so faaaar from European territory to care about...

Rusty Young made this country REAL for me, he made its citizens REAL, HUMAN, those I care about. His book became in many ways a real eye-opener for me.

He told about a horrible and bloody Colombian conflict through the eyes of Pedro Gutiérrez, a normal teenager of a middle class farm family, who dreamed about studying and marring his beautiful girl friend, and whose simple but happy life ended on that day when Guerrilla soldiers execute his father in front of him and his mother, confiscated the family's farm and expelled them from their land. At that day he swore to himself to kill the men who did it and joined the Paramilitary group becoming a child solder.

Well-written gripping plot, with good developed characters, thrilling, gruesome, provoked and frighteningly real. ( Talking about stolen childhood...)

Difficult to put down, captivating from start to finish, very authentic.
This book made me very sad, and I thought about it, about the characters, and googled about this terrible conflict days after finishing it.

"Colombiano" by Rusty Young is a very long novel, at nearly 700 pages. At times, it is repetitive and in the opinion of this reader it could have used have serious editing. Putting aside those concerns, it is an engrossing novel, with richly developed characters, and a plot that is both relevant and edge of your seat mesmerizing.

The story depicts the conflict between the army and the Guerrilla groups in Colombia and the horrifying recruitment of children into these groups and the insane violence they encounter. The story, though fictional, is based on interviews the author conducted with these child soldiers, and the descriptions are so vivid and the story so compelling that one cannot imagine the author relied on just the interviews. Writing like this usually, if not always, comes from real life experiences.

The protagonist is 15 year old Pedro Gutiérrez. He is the son of a farmer, who he loves dearly, and loves helping out on the farm and one day hopes to inherit the property. He also has a girlfriend named Camila who he also loves. In short, he is a happy fifteen year old, but all that changes when his father is executed in front of him by Guerrilla soldiers, and to make things worse he and his mother are banished from their farm and left with no income.

Pedro swears revenge and together with his best friend Palillo, they join a illegal Paramilitary black ops organization and, in turn, it turns him into the killer he needs to be in order to revenge the death of his father.

We follow Pedro as he moves up the ranks in the paramilitary organization, experiencing one crazy, intense mission after another, but it’s his determination to revenge and kill those who took part in his father’s death that carries this fascinating story to its conclusion.

This is a really good book and it is hard not to get emotionally involved, and it is not all violence and killing, but at times quite tender as Camila is always somewhere in the background.

I was asked if I would like to review this book by Lily Green at Havelock & Baker Publishing. I said yes, and this is an honest review

Wow. What an intense read.

The novel begins with a teenage boy, Pedro, living as much of a "normal" life on his family farm as he can with the ongoing civil war between the guerrillas, the Colombian government & private armies. After Pedro is forced to watch the execution of his father by the guerrilla, he vows revenge against his father's murderers. Pedro drops out of school to join the private army, the Autodefencas, to fight the guerrilla forces.

The story follows Pedro from the age of 15-18 & his rise in the ranks of the Autodefencas. We follow his friends from back home as well as his fellow soldiers. We are privy to the inner workings of the trainings of a private army, their leaders & their missions. We also follow Pedro's mission to avenge his father's execution by utilizing his rank in the Autodefencas to hunt down the 5 men responsible for his father's death.

This novel is not an easy read, but a good one as you are pulled into Pedro's life from the very beginning. Many times I had to remind myself that these are 14/15/16 year olds committing these acts of violence. What makes this novel more unsettling is that, while a fictionalized account, some parts of the story are based on real events pulled from interviews with real child soldiers. It is a well-written & researched account as the author draws from his own experiences in a U.S. government counter-terrorism program in anti-kidnapping & historical research.

*Many thanks to Lily Green & publisher Havelock And Baker for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review."

Colombiano is probably the best book I have read this year, and it is a year where I have read several good books. A story about innocence being quickly lost in the face of tragedy & violence, though love still offers hope. It is an extremely well written and powerful story.

Llorona is a small town where the Guerillas (a violent mob leading to Communist philosophy) hold sway, with the Colombian police and army being especially weak. Col Buitrago has the right intentions but does not have the resources to keep the Guerillas at bay.

Pedro is a young lad who cannot wait to get to 16 years of age, when he can deepen his relationship with his girlfriend Camila. His family soon faces tragedy as his father, a peace loving & respected man in town, is shot by the Guerillas in front of his eyes. Their property is confiscated and his mother moves with Pedro’s Uncle Leo. Pedro is consumed by a burning rage, and is determined to avenge his fathers murder. The Autodefensas are a rival gang who hold sway over other parts of the country, and were formed primarily to resist the Guerillas, with landowners and people impacted by the crimes of the Guerillas supporting them. Pedro and his friend Palillo (who has an abusive step father) join the Autodefensas.

Pedro’s life turns into one where violence soon emerges as a way of life. Pedro and Palillo do make some new friendships (especially Palillo’s relationship with Piolin), but Pedro drifts apart from Camila, much to his agony. As Pedro, with Palillo’s help, seeks out his fathers murderers, he still struggles to find peace in the face of terrible violence.

This is a large book, but moves fast and is an excellent read, other than being an important one. The vicious cycle which violence creates is explored very well. A lot of the violence though is quite raw, brutal (probably very realistic though) and far more than what I have been used to reading.

A book I strongly recommend.

This is a great big book.

But....

Is it a great-big book or a great big-book? That's debatable.

Despite the short chapters, it still reads like a great-big book which makes for a less than great big-book.

For me to really enjoy a great-big book I need to connect with the characters on a cellular level. I felt no investment in Pedro and his plight to avenge his father's murder and that disconnect lies solely in the lap of the authors inability to humanize this young character.

This is a fascinating story with tremendous potential and I have no regrets investing my time to read it. But it felt more like a perfunctory lesson than epic storytelling.

It's a good great-big book.

3.5 Stars rounded up ⭐


** Thank you to Lily from Havelock and Baker Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. **

Thank you to NetGalley, Havelock & Baker Publishing, and the author Rusty Young for an advanced copy for my review

This was a powerhouse of a book, that caught my attention right away
A strong and powerful book, that I could not put down right from the beginning.
It was both informative, and interesting.
Pedro Gutierrez was a normal fifteen-year-old family boy, who loved spending time going fishing with his father, attending church with his mother, and hanging out with his girlfriend, Camila.
A book full of tragedy, and love in Columbia which is ruled by the drug trade and power
Young soldiers whom are trained from an early age.

I found that I was totally enveloped by the story and the lives of these young soldier trainees

However as the book developed, it was just too long and I stared to loose interest. At over 800 pages it became a bit of a struggle to continue on. Although I really enjoyed the story, I feel it could have all been said with a few more pages

However a book I would recommend, and did enjoy reading

When posed with summarising this book into a review I feel a little overwhelmed.
First off, this is more of a journey that we have been privileged to experience, a journey of pain, love, revenge, hatred, enlightenment and atonement.

This is a really powerfully written book. Rusty Young opted to relay an eye opening account of child soldiers in Columbia in a fictional format rather than through a documentary styled account. Although the sad reality is that no further sensationalism was required. This is a portrayal of real-life, of what happens to society when a war funded by corruption and drugs uses lies and propaganda to lure children into believing they are fighting for a just cause. And even if they don’t choose a side themselves, one would be picked and the journey of desensitization and mind-washing begin.

Unfortunately there are no winners in this war, there are no just causes. People from both sides share the same stories and backgrounds, the same beliefs and morals. They have simply been indoctrinated by one group before the other.

Columbiano does have a light at the end of the tunnel though. We know that there are stories of children escaping this turmoil. That there are people out there, like Rusty himself, that are committed to fighting for humanity.

Gritty, Raw, Powerful, Captivating, Thought provoking and gut wrenching.

What happens when you really don't have a choice? What happens when choices are made for you? What happens when your life changes in an instant? What happens when you make a simple decision and it changes your life and outlook.

Pedro Gutiérrez is a happy teenager living in Columbia. He spends his days going to school, fishing, spending time with his best friend, Palillo and his girlfriend, Camilla. His world instantly changes when Guerrilla soldiers execute his father in front of him. Vowing vengeance, he goes on a journey that takes him from being a happy teen to a child soldier in a paramilitary where he is trained to shot, fight and kill. Vengeance is always in his mind as he perfects his skills in hopes of tracking down the man who killed his father.

It is safe to say that this is not your average coming of age story. There are parts (many) in this book that are quite gruesome but are important for the story as these things are real. Blending fact with fiction, this book looks at how child soldiers are trained, and used to fight battles over land territory, politics, cocaine, and power.

How far will he go before he can say "vengeance is mine?" This is a HUGE book and at times it did feel it's size. But it also felt powerful, sad, realistic and shocking. It's sad to sit and think that there are child soldiers in many parts of the world who have lost their childhood and innocence for a life of violence. That there are places where a good man does what he feels in his heart is the right thing to do and pays for it with his life? This book is very realistic and visual. It is also well written, well thought out, perfectly paced and researched. This book took me though several feelings and emotions.

This one was hard to put down and had my attention from the start.

Thank you to Rusty Young, Lily from Havelock & Baker Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I knew something about the situation in Colombia through films and news about organisations such as the Medellin Cartel and Pablo Escobar but this book made the terrible situation that Colombians faced all too real. This is Pedro’s story and his experiences in Autodefensas following the murder of his father by the communist FARC Guerilla. Pedro is 15 (some are as young as 12) when he joins this militia with the intention of seeking revenge against his fathers killers. This is an unrelenting story of killing, cruelty, kidnaps, bombings, treachery and betrayal and of course all too present is control of the supply of cocaine. Pedro becomes a ruthless killer and though his experiences he becomes inured to cruelty and violence to the horror of his girlfriend Camila. The story is fast paced, describes events that beggar belief, they are so awful that it almost takes your breathe away. Pedro doggedly and bravely pursues his fathers killers but along the way makes terrible discoveries about people that he trusts. There is hypocrisy and double dealing in abundance. The ending is good and the situation for Pedro and his family and the area he lives in seems to be improving, so there is cause for some restrained optimism.
My criticism of the book lies with its length (700 pages) and although it’s horribly fascinating it takes grit to stick with it. It’s so unrelenting in the horror although I have to say I am very glad I’ve read it has led to greater understanding of Colombia and its people.
Overall, a very well written book which is well researched.