The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
2.75 stars
The Good Thief is an interesting read that has elements of literary classics, elements of young adult literature and a writing style that I found at times pedestrian.
The story of The Good Thief follows Ren, an orphan with a slightly mysterious past and missing a left hand. He is adopted by someone claiming to be his older brother Benjamin with a “fish tale” of a story. Ren is swept away with Benjamin on his adventures.
I found Ren a likable character who was flawed but likable, thoughtful yet resourceful. I also like Benjamin, who I found overly clever but in a way that was endearing. The supporting cast is a motley crew of the greatest hits of rogues and varmit. We have the drunk who also is a former teacher, the side kick friends of Ren who are not to bright but loyal to a fault and of course the gentle giant. The bad guy is bad, and I think this is where the Young Adult part comes in.
The book has a YA feel in two ways. The characters are archetypical and the plot is very linear and while third person, it is restricted to views with Ren only. It echos YA habits of action following our lead (see Harry Potter). The characters are very archetypical. The villian is bad, and nasty and quite the ego maniac. He has his group of evil henchmen and they are thugs and mostly voiceless.
I found Ren a very very strong character and his story is interesting as layers are revealed and things discovered. His compassion is surprising at times and a fault, but it makes for a well rounded very human character. Benjamin is as well. I found him to be very “Artful Dodger”. And I think that describes things well.
There was some loose ends that pestered me. What about Mrs. Sands dwarf brother who lived on the roof? Why did Ren REALLY care for Dolly so much?
Hannah Tinti
I also found her writing at time pedestrian. The books prose was plain. And I am not sure that the end result is a polished as I desired. Some critics have complimented this with phrases like “does not use devices” etc. etc. I personally found it at times dry as a result. This is also a reason for the YA references, as the writing has echoes of books that would be classified like that.
There is a great couple characters – nearly classic – Tom Sawyer, Oliver Twist, and a story to drive them forward, but the top of the chain of the villains and crew and the ultimate reveals are slightly contrived and convenient.
