The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura

The Thief is the tale of a pickpocket making his way through Tokyo. The blurb on Amazon says the book is cool, and maybe it is, but I found Nishimura's sadness too palpable to be cool. Nishimura is portrayed as a very skillful pickpocket. I'll admit, the pocket he picks towards the end of the book was impressive. But he is suffering and light pilfering is how he copes with his losses.

The characters we meet in the book are lonely in their own way or alone with their problems, even when shared. It speaks to broken or ineffectual family ties, neglected children and a future overshadowed by this. It breaks your heart.

I read it in one sitting, propelled by the suspense, utterly enthralled and entertained. What would become of poor Nishimura? Read it and find out.

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