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daniella84 's review for:
Portrait of a Thief
by Grace D. Li
4.5
I think the blurb and the comp title to Ocean's Eleven really does this book a disservice in pitching it as a high-octane heist novel, when it is instead a careful examination of diaspora and identity. Yes there are heists, but their brevity shows how peripheral they are to the real story, which follows 5 Chinese-American twenty-somethings trying to figure out their place in the world.
I think this book had a lot of heart, and it's clear the author was writing from the experience of things she had grappled with herself. All of the characters had complicated relationships with the idea of home, identity, belonging, and the future, and I really appreciated seeing them grapple with these different elements while also trying to navigate the impossible task of a heist.
As someone who is the grandchild of immigrants, and doesn't really know a lot about my own family history, I found the discussions about what it means to be part of a diaspora and not really knowing what you have lost specifically, but knowing you have lost something was especially interesting to see represented on page. I also liked how each of the characters had a different relationship to China, because I think it helped show the diversity of diaspora experiences and how factors such as privilege and wealth play into this.
Having the characters be at such a pivotal point in their lives also provided the opportunity to show how culture and identity interact with decisions about futures and careers. I liked Alex's arc in this regard the most - seeing her struggle with the fact that her dreams of doing good and changing the world had somewhere along the way (through a mix of complacency and family obligation) been transformed into a seemingly life-long future as a nameless cog in a corporate machine. I did think though that the overall themes seen in all the character arcs of balancing responsibility/expectation with your own goals/dreams, realising your privilege compared to your family and not wanting to 'waste' the opportunities you have, and how a culture of things unsaid can be so isolating, were all done really well.
I think I needed a little bit more from this to be a 5-star - the last few chapters especially felt somewhat unnecessary and everything wrapped up a bit too neatly for my taste - but I was surprised to enjoy this as much as I did considering it's not really something I would usually pick up. It's a shame, though, that people are going into this expecting something action-packed and are being disappointed, because I think this could definitely be a 5-star read when placed in the hands of the right audience. It reminded me a lot of my experience with [b:Everything I Never Told You|18693763|Everything I Never Told You|Celeste Ng|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386795198l/18693763._SY75_.jpg|26542311], with some Mitski 'Working for the Knife' vibes thrown in for good measure.
I think the blurb and the comp title to Ocean's Eleven really does this book a disservice in pitching it as a high-octane heist novel, when it is instead a careful examination of diaspora and identity. Yes there are heists, but their brevity shows how peripheral they are to the real story, which follows 5 Chinese-American twenty-somethings trying to figure out their place in the world.
I think this book had a lot of heart, and it's clear the author was writing from the experience of things she had grappled with herself. All of the characters had complicated relationships with the idea of home, identity, belonging, and the future, and I really appreciated seeing them grapple with these different elements while also trying to navigate the impossible task of a heist.
As someone who is the grandchild of immigrants, and doesn't really know a lot about my own family history, I found the discussions about what it means to be part of a diaspora and not really knowing what you have lost specifically, but knowing you have lost something was especially interesting to see represented on page. I also liked how each of the characters had a different relationship to China, because I think it helped show the diversity of diaspora experiences and how factors such as privilege and wealth play into this.
Having the characters be at such a pivotal point in their lives also provided the opportunity to show how culture and identity interact with decisions about futures and careers. I liked Alex's arc in this regard the most - seeing her struggle with the fact that her dreams of doing good and changing the world had somewhere along the way (through a mix of complacency and family obligation) been transformed into a seemingly life-long future as a nameless cog in a corporate machine. I did think though that the overall themes seen in all the character arcs of balancing responsibility/expectation with your own goals/dreams, realising your privilege compared to your family and not wanting to 'waste' the opportunities you have, and how a culture of things unsaid can be so isolating, were all done really well.
I think I needed a little bit more from this to be a 5-star - the last few chapters especially felt somewhat unnecessary and everything wrapped up a bit too neatly for my taste - but I was surprised to enjoy this as much as I did considering it's not really something I would usually pick up. It's a shame, though, that people are going into this expecting something action-packed and are being disappointed, because I think this could definitely be a 5-star read when placed in the hands of the right audience. It reminded me a lot of my experience with [b:Everything I Never Told You|18693763|Everything I Never Told You|Celeste Ng|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386795198l/18693763._SY75_.jpg|26542311], with some Mitski 'Working for the Knife' vibes thrown in for good measure.