Theft: Stories

by N.S. Köenings

The path from Europe to Africa has been much traveled in literature but rarely in such an evocative, nuanced, and even playful way as in N.S. Kenings's Theft .

Here are five seductive tales that move with grace and subtlety between the two continents and reveal with insight and wit that what seem to be very separate worlds are not so far apart after all. In Pearls to Swine, a lonely childless socialite invites her American goddaughter to spend the summer in her mansion. In Wondrous Strange , a spirit medium is haunted by the ghost of an ancient African djinn. In Setting Up Shop, a young Zanzibari woman dreams of traveling to the U.S., even as a local entrepeneur courts her relentlessly, even promising to leave his other wives for her.

More praise for The Blue Taxi :

"The world Kenings has created in her accomplished debut is tragic and exhilarating, as is her portrayal of weary, left-behind colonialists, poverty-stricken natives and the uneasy manner in which each regards the other." -- Publishers Weekly

"Kenings skillfully weaves together the stories of individuals from disparate cultures converging in a city that is entering a new era of political independence." -- The New Yorker

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loss is a universal concept that stretches across all ethnicities and walks of life among people. In her collection of five short stories, aptly called Theft, N. S. Koenings explores loss as it is perceived by her parade of varied and interesting characters. In Pearls to Swine, we read about an idealistic woman who, in essence, has her pride and self identity stolen when things don't pan out as she expects. Wonderous Strange takes us on a journey into the hope of other worlds, which may or may not rob us of our foothold into reality. The title story, Theft, no only deals with material theft, but the theft of security and idealism. Sister for Shama is a strange but entrancing story of compassion and imagination. Lastly, Setting Up Shop quite effectively demonstrates how one can lose everything because of a desperate want of something out of reach.

The writing style is reminiscent of 19th century masters--delicate, beautifully intricate, and vibrantly descriptive. Koenings has an impressive grasp of the "feel" of other cultures and reveals those feelings to us in a wonderful way. I highly recommend this collection.

[Sonja Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well written group of longer short stories. The plots often veer from what I originally think the main point is, which is both refreshing and disconcerting. There aren't big epiphanies or other events that bring a sense of closure that I find from, say, a William Trevor short story. These stories chronicle what people do with new information...I don't get a sense of growth or evolution of the characters, but I do get to observe how the characters react. Koenings seems to be more interested with how people deal with doubt, uncertainty and confusion than with resolving the issue at hand. It's interesting and much like real life.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing.
My review on Hipsterbookclub.com