Portrait of a Thief: A Novel by Grace D. Li
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Named A Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by * Marie Claire * * Washington Post * * Vulture * *NBC News* * Buzzfeed * * Veranda * * PopSugar* *Paste* *The Millions* *Bustle* *Crimereads* Goodreads* * Bookbub* *Boston.com* and more! "The thefts are engaging and surprising, and the narrative brims with international intrigue. Li, however, has delivered more than a straight thriller here, especially in the parts that depict the despair Will and his pals feel at being displaced, overlooked, underestimated and discriminated against. This is as much a novel as a reckoning." —New York Times Book Review Ocean's Eleven meets The Farewell in Portrait of a Thief , a lush, lyrical heist novel inspired by the true story of Chinese art vanishing from Western museums; about diaspora, the colonization of art, and the complexity of the Chinese American identity. History is told by the conquerors. Across the Western world, museums display the spoils of war, of conquest, of colonialism: priceless pieces of art looted from other countries, kept even now. Will Chen plans to steal them back. A senior at Harvard, Will fits comfortably in his carefully curated roles: a perfect student, an art history major and sometimes artist, the eldest son who has always been his parents' American Dream. But when a mysterious Chinese benefactor reaches out with an impossible—and illegal—job offer, Will finds himself something else as well: the leader of a heist to steal back five priceless Chinese sculptures, looted from Beijing centuries ago. His crew is every heist archetype one can imagine—or at least, the closest he can get. A con artist: Irene Chen, a public policy major at Duke who can talk her way out of anything. A thief: Daniel Liang, a premed student with steady hands just as capable of lockpicking as suturing. A getaway driver: Lily Wu, an engineering major who races cars in her free time. A hacker: Alex Huang, an MIT dropout turned Silicon Valley software engineer. Each member of his crew has their own complicated relationship with China and the identity they've cultivated as Chinese Americans, but when Will asks, none of them can turn him down. Because if they succeed? They earn fifty million dollars—and a chance to make history. But if they fail, it will mean not just the loss of everything they've dreamed for themselves but yet another thwarted attempt to take back what colonialism has stolen. Equal parts beautiful, thoughtful, and thrilling, Portrait of a Thief is a cultural heist and an examination of Chinese American identity, as well as a necessary critique of the lingering effects of colonialism. Read more
Li writes in a way that makes my heart weep, the sheer power and rhythm and emotions her sentences carry. She captured the yearnings of the future, relationships, and connections with a familiar land that is too far away in the best way possible. I love everything about the crew: Will, Irene, Alex, Lily, Daniel. The story hits all the diasporic feels of sometimes belonging in two places, sometimes neither. The five of them are strong yet vulnerable, ambitious in life, and carry the heavy weight of familial expectations as first- and second-generation immigrants. A full cast of Chinese Americans, each with their own complexities and dreams. And, of course, I loved seeing the sapphics living their best lives, the first time I saw two diasporic queer Asians falling for each other in fiction. As I write this review, trying and failing to do this book justice, my heart still aches for all of them. PORTRAIT OF A THIEF is less about thieving and heist and more about big dreams and family, diaspora and colonialism. It made me rethink my relationships with my homeland, my family, myself, and it also showed me what it is like to dream big again and live. The book means more to me than I could have possibly imagined before picking it up, and it is surely something that I would revisit again and again for the years to come.
Publisher -> Tiny Reparations Books (April 5, 2022) Language -> English Hardcover -> 384 pages ISBN-10 -> 0593184734 ISBN-13 -> 978-0593184738 Item Weight -> 1.3 pounds Dimensions -> 6.25 x 1.25 x 9.3 inches Best Sellers Rank: #10,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #56 in Asian American Literature & Fiction #144 in Heist Thrillers #157 in Cultural Heritage Fiction
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