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A review by dee9401
The Thief by Stephen Coates, Fuminori Nakamura, Satoko Izumo
3.0
I've been a huge fan of Japanese crime/mystery fiction ever since I read Out by Natsuo Kirino. I started devouring Japanese noir books, loving Kirino, Kenzo Kitakata and some of Miyuki Miyabe's novels. I read a so-so review of the Thief in the Washington Post. It said that it wasn't a thriller or action-packed, but it seemed more of a reflection on the main character, a pickpocket. I thought that that's exactly what I loved about Japanese fiction I've read. The books I've read are a social critique of class, culture and regionalism.
Having just finished the book, I was a little disappointed. The book never really took off for me. I was interested in the story. Actually, there were two stories, one involving a criminal activity and one a father-son type relationship the main character develops with a young boy who seems to be a thief in the making. I think the author should have spent more time developing the relationship aspect. He could have moved the criminal part to the background.
Some have said this book is minimalist, but I think it's more underdeveloped. There was potential and I did want to finish the book and see what happened. For the first third or half of the book, I was thinking that I'd give it four stars. It finished off at three and I think that's about right for me.
Having just finished the book, I was a little disappointed. The book never really took off for me. I was interested in the story. Actually, there were two stories, one involving a criminal activity and one a father-son type relationship the main character develops with a young boy who seems to be a thief in the making. I think the author should have spent more time developing the relationship aspect. He could have moved the criminal part to the background.
Some have said this book is minimalist, but I think it's more underdeveloped. There was potential and I did want to finish the book and see what happened. For the first third or half of the book, I was thinking that I'd give it four stars. It finished off at three and I think that's about right for me.