Book Report: The Good Thief

The Good Thief
By Hannah Tinti

Book Description:
Twelve-year-old Ren is missing his left hand. How it was lost is a mystery that Ren has been trying to solve his entire life, as well as who his parents are, and why he was abandoned as an infant at Saint Anthony's Orphanage for boys. He longs for a family to call his own and is terrified of the day he will be sent alone into the world.
But then a young man named Benjamin Nab appears, claiming to be Ren's long-lost brother, and his convincing tale of how Ren lost his hand and his parents persuade the monks at the orphanage to release the boy and to give Ren some hope. But is Benjamin really who he says he is? Journeying through a New England of whaling towns and meadowed farmlands, Ren is introduced to a vibrant world of hardscrabble adventure filled with outrageous scam artists, grave robbers, and petty thieves. If he stays, Ren becomes one of them. If he goes, he's lost once again. As Ren begins to find clues to his hidden parentage he comes to suspect that Benjamin not only holds the key to his future, but to his past as well.


First paragraph:
The man arrived after morning prayers. Word spread quickly that someone had come, and the boys of Saint Anthony's orphanage elbowed each other and strained to catch a glimpse as he unhitched his horse and led it to the trough for drinking. The man's face was hard to make out, his hat pulled so far down that the brim nearly touched his nose. He tied the reins to a post and then stood there, patting the horse's neck as it drank. The man waited, and the boys watched, and when the mare finally lifted her head, they saw the man lean forward, stroke the animal's nose, and kiss her. Then he wiped his lips with the back of his hand, removed his hat, and made his way across the yard to the monastery.


I saw this book 'blogged' in the Kansas City Star and mentioned to mom that it sounded good. Couple weeks later, it showed up in the mail. *grin*

For so long, I've *avoided* female authors because I thought 'they' all only wrote about female protags. Even if a title sounded good, I wouldn't even pick it up if a woman was the author. This book taught me a lesson. Hannah Tinti is a wonderful writer and an entrancing story-teller. I loved every bit of this crazy-charactered, completely unique story.

First off, I will remember this book for its characters. The protag is Ren, a one-handed twelve year old orphan with a bit of a temper, and a narrow mind. While his overall arch is to go from lonely and wanting to independent and confident, the road there is paved with richness and imagery. His progression is very nicely illustrated through relationships with others, and making his own hard decisions. He comes to terms with himself slowly and naturally, and things don't work out perfectly. The story stays organic to itself.

But Ren is certainly not the only memorable character. Each person in this story is unique and lovable for (or despite) their flaws. Benjamin--while not the pure-intentioned 'big brother' he presents himself as--is heart-stealing. He's a thief, but good-hearted. His cleverness is his undoing, always trying to 'get ahead' with less-than-moral schemes while maintaining a genuine caring for those around him. Despite his disappointment at the lies, Ren quickly takes to Benjamin--as did I.

Benjamin Nab put his hands on his hips and surveyed the land as if it all belonged to him. Then he turned back to the boy. "Let's have another look at you."
Ren stood perfectly still as the man walked around him. Benjamin Nab crouched down, then lifted the boy's arm and examined the end of the wrist where the skin was sewn over. Ren waited for the usual signs of discomfort or shock. But Benjamin Nab's face held none of these things. He raised his eyebrows.
"Well," he said, "you have another one, don't you?"

Benjamin has a side-kick, the somewhat shady ex-schoolteacher, Tom, who spends his free time and money in a bottle. Benjamin and Tom are long-time friends, and this relationship is portrayed naturally with nick-names and bickering and concern for one another. As long as the two are together, they will be okay--exploiting Ren's 'misfortunes'--and for the first time Ren feels like part of something.

After having exhausted all their schemes and tricks, the three move to a new town in a stolen wagon (drawn by the mare from the first paragraph, also stolen, of course). It is here that the brass, spunky, nearly-deaf Mrs. Sands is introduced.

They knocked for some time before a woman came to answer. She was taller than Benjamin by at least a head and had broad shoulders, thick arms, and a very long, thin neck. Her face was middle-aged, with bright, quick eyes and a nose with one nostril larger than the other. Her hair was tucked away into a cap and she wore a coarse apron covering a brown dress. A ring of keys was tied to a thick leather belt around her waist.
"WHAT ARE YOU KNOCKING FOR?" she shouted.
"We're looking for a room," said Benjamin.
"I DON'T OPEN THE PLACE TO STRANGERS."
"My name is Benjamin Nab." He held out his hand, using his smile. "There, you see, I'm no longer a stranger."

She rents the three a room and cooks meals for them, and Ren takes to her and her motherly (albeit quirky) ways quickly. He discovers her brother, a midget who lives on the roof and comes down the chimney at night for dinner. He meets the four mouse-trap girls, four teenagers who work at the nearby mouse-trap factory and who stop by each morning for something to eat. And during a grave-robbing mission with Benjamin and Tom, Ren meets Dolly:

The horse began to shuffle. She gave a small kick with her legs that banged against the wood, and Ren suddenly found his voice again. Tom stumbled out of the churchyard and clapped his hand over the boy's mouth, but Ren continued screaming straight through Tom's fingers.
"It's alright," said Benjamin. "Don't move," he said.
In the wagon was a dead man, sitting up with his eyes open. The burlap hung like a hood around his shoulders. His head was square and short and dirty. He was bald.
"I'm hungry," said the dead man. There was mud on his lips.

The Good Thief is a magical story, rich with humor and originality and new people. Hanna walks the line between fantasy and real-world strangeness, and takes the third act to an even higher level with the introduction of some truly nasty antagonists. This story is a wild ride and thoroughly enjoyable and vivid. I will remember this story, and its characters, forever.

Five out of five stars!