The author's stark prose serves him well in recounting a story set in the extremes of poverty and crime, showing how these two can intertwine so that morality becomes, not relative, but almost irrelevant. The narrator describes himself as a "risk-taker" who "likes to fight" and insists that he and his companions "couldn't have accepted a normal existence...." (loc 1371 on Kindle). And this is not a conventional narrative in the manner in which the reader is kept at a distance, both from the events (so as not to pass judgement?), and from emotion that the narrator may feel. The carefully written text manages to keep the reader's interest in the narrative, nonetheless. It is a striking novel that is well worth the time spent.

I mostly enjoyed this quite brief, but interesting account of a Calabrian "Black Soul". The story itself was compelling and relates the realities and violence of the life of a member of the ‘Ndrangheta over a number of years. The events feel true to life and the various settings and locations feel real and show a side to Italy that many may be unaware of. It certainly is different from the almost glamorous representations of the mafia in films like The Godfather. This book demonstrates the violent reality although it tended to be rather descriptive at points. Sometimes it read like a list of events, as if it was written as a journal as opposed to a deeper narrative.

I wasn't sure if it was the translation, but I found some parts of the book hard to follow. I also felt that it was impossible to really get a feel for any of the characters, Female characters, in particular, were basically non-existent. This is essentially a book about unapologetically bad people and I felt it was difficult to get a real sense of their motivations. I'm aware that it has been adapted into an award-winning film and I think the story probably works better in that medium.

Overall I would certainly recommend this book to anyone interested in organised crime or those wishing to learn more about a little talked about part of Italian history and culture.

This book was the teen version of the godfather, the soprano and the Italian Mob all in one. Some parts were very deep and intense that it almost made me want to stop. As I read on the theme of the book of figuring out how to get your life back on track and out of the trenches. These types of books have their own unique way of expressing a deep message and this,was a prime example of that.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This will definitely be considered for our collection in our FRiction collection. That is why we give this book 4 stars!