The Thief Group Read

[Selena]

A literary crime masterpiece that follows a Japanese pickpocket lost to the machinations of fate. Bleak and oozing existential dread, The Thief is simply unforgettable.

The Thief is a seasoned pickpocket. Anonymous in his tailored suit, he weaves in and out of Tokyo crowds, stealing wallets from strangers so smoothly sometimes he doesn’t even remember the snatch. Most people are just a blur to him, nameless faces from whom he chooses his victims. He has no family, no friends, no connections.... But he does have a past, which finally catches up with him when Ishikawa, his first partner, reappears in his life, and offers him a job he can’t refuse. It’s an easy job: tie up an old rich man, steal the contents of the safe. No one gets hurt. Only the day after the job does he learn that the old man was a prominent politician, and that he was brutally killed after the robbery. And now the Thief is caught in a tangle even he might not be able to escape.

Reading Schedule
7/22-7/28: Chapters 1-5
7/29-8/4: Chapters 6-7
8/5-8/11: Chapters 8-11
8/12-8/18: Chapters 12-14
8/19-8/25: Chapters 15-18

[Andy]

Excellent, this is already on my kindle ready to go

[Gord]

I've requested this from the library

[Alan M]

I romped through this in a few hours, so will wait and chip in once we get going. I really enjoyed it - I probably preferred it to 'The Gun' which I read a few months ago, also by Nakamura.

[Selena]

Alan wrote: "I romped through this in a few hours, so will wait and chip in once we get going. I really enjoyed it - I probably preferred it to 'The Gun' which I read a few months ago, also by Nakamura."

Wow, that quickly?

I'll have to get started. I've been so busy, I haven't had a chance to start yet, even though I have both the print and ebook from the library at the moment lol.

[Andy]

Nice quick read. Really enjoyed it.

[Selena]

It's a really quick read. I knocked out the first 5 chapters in an hour.

So far, there doesn't seem to be an overarching plot, but it's pretty interesting. The main character's head space is definitely different than the thoughts of characters in other books I've been reading lately.

What do you guys like about it so far?

[swatreads]

Hi. Can i join?

[Selena]

Swathi wrote: "Hi. Can i join?"

Of course! It's a group read, so it's open to everyone, and anyone can join the discussion any time.

Happy reading!

[swatreads]

Selena wrote: "Swathi wrote: "Hi. Can i join?"

Of course! It's a group read, so it's open to everyone, and anyone can join the discussion any time.

Happy reading!"

Thank you. Will start in a while and catch up. :)

[Selena]

That armed robbery was pretty crazy, wasn't it? So much could have gone wrong.

In an attempt to start a discussion, would you take that risk in their shoes?

[Gord]

This is the next physical book on the reading list and I should have it read this weekend.

[Selena]

Gord wrote: "This is the next physical book on the reading list and I should have it read this weekend."

Take your time. It's a quick read, and the schedule is for small chunks so everyone can keep up. :)

[Gord]

Finished it up and it was a quick read. It wasn't a bad book but I wasn't really blown away by it either. Maybe it was because I was expecting something a bit more action orientated. The ending was interesting. (view spoiler)[ I like how it left things open as to his survival. I kind of reminded me of a book called Roadside Picnic (hide spoiler)]

In regards to the question about whether I would have joined the armed robbery in their shoes. Nope. There were way to many red flags there. To many things that were outside of my control. The guy was planning the heist knew two much about the main character and we didn't know anything about him. That's just a recipe for a bad time.

[Suki]

I enjoyed the book-- it was a quick, easy read. I didn't feel any real connection with the pickpocket, but he was an intetesting character because he seemed to be somewhat mentally disturbed (guilt, maybe?).
(view spoiler)[
It was kind of disturbing when he found wallets in his pockets that he didn't remember taking. Years ago, I read a book about a woman with multiple personalities, and the scene that really stands out in my mind was when she went into the bathroom and found a pair of strange pajamas hanging on a hook on the door. She didn't recognize them because one of her other personalities had bought them, and it freaked her out because she didn't know about the other personalities. There were several parts in The Thief that reminded me of that scene: the wallets that he didn't remember stealing, and a couple of times when he saw one thing and it is really something else (the man in the raincoat is really a stain on the wall, for instance). Did he misinterpret reality, or did he lose time and the scene around him change while he was "out"?

What is the significance of the tower?

I liked the ending, where it is left to the reader to decide whether he survived or died in the alley. I really don't think it made much difference, because if he did survive that attack, Kizaki will make sure that he is tracked down and killed.

I hope that the young boy the pickpocket tried to help will have a better life.
(hide spoiler)]
Pickpocket skills are amazing-- it is incredible to me that they are close enough to someone to remove something from a bag or an inner coat pocket, yet they don't get caught. I can't imagine ever trying something like that!

[Selena]

Gord wrote: "In regards to the question about whether I would have joined the armed robbery in their shoes. Nope. There were way to many red flags there. To many things that were outside of my control. The guy was planning the heist knew two much about the main character and we didn't know anything about him. That's just a recipe for a bad time."

There's definitely not enough to gain from the armed robbery, but there were a lot of not-so-veiled threats made early on, that I'm not sure he a choice in the matter. The fact the guy planning the heist knew so much tells me he might have gone to black mail or worse. He seemed like a real psychopath.

[Selena]

So I've noticed that the thief keeps mentioning a tower. I haven't reached the ending yet, so Nakamura might say what the tower is in the end.

What do you guys think the tower is?

Edit: Just finished the book. (view spoiler)[Who thinks he survived? (hide spoiler)]

[Andy]

I can't say much as i don't know how to do that spoiler hiding thing...

i'd definitely read a sequel