Book Review I Am the Market 
by Luca Rastello
Non-fiction, Granta, pb, £10.99
Book Review: I Am the Market
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Cocaine smuggling. There: got a picture in your mind? You’re seeing trucks in Colombia, condom-swallowing mules, drug busts and gunfights, right? That’s exactly the kind of myth Rastello sets out to debunk in this curious blend of jailhouse confessional and journalistic investigation.
Our ‘narrator’ is a convicted smuggler who tells tales about his exploits. It’s as un-glamorous as it is cunning: the white powder is hidden, by the ton, in old cranes, impregnated into denim, hidden in marble slabs… it’s a dispassionate account of a market and business that, Rastello argues, actually keeps the wheels of the world turning.
Although the truth behind who’s actually speaking remains shadowy, the narrative voice has a certain braggadocio and there’s no dallying with morality; their ultimate capture provides only a thin ethical gloss over what is otherwise a fairly practical ‘how to smuggle loads of drugs’ guide. It’s dark, interesting stuff though, and a compelling attempt to tell an old story in a new way. Truthful? Who knows. A ripping good yarn? Absolutely.
Posted on Wednesday 4th August 2010
Russ Thorne
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