Portrait of a Thief
“Once, he had thought diaspora was loss, longing, all the empty spaces in him filled with want.... But diaspora was this, too: two cultures that could both be his, history that was waiting to be made.”
― Grace D. Li, Portrait of a Thief
Long Story, Short
Pass on the hijinks and the impossibly meticulous planning, and dive into the miraculously flawed world of five college students only scraping the surface of the "real world" as they chase down stolen Chinese artifacts from museums across the world.
Tell Me About It
If you're reading this because of the immense hype around this book know that it is well deserved... just not for the reason you'd think. Ocean's Eleven meets The Farwell? It would be more accurate to say this novel is The Farwell with a splash of Ocean's Eleven.
Within these pages, you'll find a cast of intoxicating characters that unravel unique perspectives on the diaspora of Chinese immigrants and descendants in the U.S. Family responsibilities, sibling rivalries, and cultural connections are all put under a microscope. Each character faces imminent transformation, but only if they can let go of the expectations that hold them back and embrace what individualities can push them further than they'd ever imagined.
"And the heist?" I hear you ask.
There is international travel to beautiful locals, high-stakes maneuvers, and late-night car races. However, they take up about (by my very vague estimate) about 10% of the book. If you want to enjoy this story, please don't open the book expecting the thrills of Ocean's Eleven, because it simply isn't the goal of Li's novel. You will read pages upon pages of these characters' thoughts, angst, and fears. It's beautiful to watch how they grow, but it isn't going to give you the excitement you get from traditional heist stories.
Why...
You'll Love It
- Historical insight into Chinese culture
- Family drama
- POV switches you won't dread
Might Not
- Not suspenseful
- Love subplots are an afterthought
- Long stretches of character pondering
