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The Thief
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.
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.
211 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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9499 people want to read
About the author
Fuminori Nakamura
29 books685 followersHis debut novel Jū (The Gun) won the Shinchō New Author Prize in 2002. Also received the Noma Prize for New Writers in 2004 for Shakō [The Shade]. Winner of the Akutagawa Prize in 2005 for Tsuchi no naka no kodomo (Child in the Ground). Suri (Pickpocket) won the Ōe Kenzaburō Prize in 2010. His other works include Sekai no Hate (The Far End of the World), Ōkoku (Kingdom), and Meikyū (Labyrinth).
See also 中村 文則.
See also 中村 文則.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,110 reviews
April 30, 2017
At its core The Thief aims to be a philosophical neo-noir, but in the end it simply proves too bland to pass the test. The protagonist and narrator of the book is a seasoned Tokyo pickpocket, and also a total enigma: he has no family and very few friends, and for most of the book we do not even learn hi name. He moves throughout the crowd, dressed in good suits, and steals money from other people in good suits, who remain as anonymous to him as he is to us.
Most of the intrigue in the early parts of the novel consists of the narrator describing picking pockets in detail, explaining various techniques that he uses; whether they are researched or made up remains to be decided. However, there is only so far that picking pockets can get us, and the narrator invariably becomes entangled in matters bigger than himself, and is presented with an offer that he cannot refuse: he has to steal contents of a safe belonging to an old man, and to do this he has to break into his home and intimidate him into revealing the code. No one has to die or even get hurt; but, as in novels and in real life, things go awfully wrong very quickly and our narrator becomes trapped in a situation which is way beyond his control.
The problem with The Thief is that it does not go anywhere; ultimately, there is no point to anything that happens. No grand revelation, or even a minor one; nothing to make us care for either the protagonist or any of the supporting characters. The most interesting part of the book is not even the main heist, but a subplot involving our narrator discovering a young boy who clumsily tries to steal food from a convenience store, which leads to him becoming a mentor-figure for the boy an an affair with the boy's mother; but even the mother and her son ultimately turn out to be nothing more than plot devices, serving only to move it further along. The worst offense is probably the reveal of the mastermind behind our narrator's complex situation, who comes out as a little more than a cliched evil guy, completely impervious to the world around him and for story reasons is allowed to act with complete impunity.
When I began to read The Thief, I expected a literary mystery, or even metaphysical crime fiction in the vein of Paul Auster; unfortunately, it is neither. As was the case with Last Winter We Parted, the book left me feeling empty and unmoved; although it is definitely more readable than its successor, I ultimately find it hard to recommend as I fear it will simply leave no impression upon completing it.
Most of the intrigue in the early parts of the novel consists of the narrator describing picking pockets in detail, explaining various techniques that he uses; whether they are researched or made up remains to be decided. However, there is only so far that picking pockets can get us, and the narrator invariably becomes entangled in matters bigger than himself, and is presented with an offer that he cannot refuse: he has to steal contents of a safe belonging to an old man, and to do this he has to break into his home and intimidate him into revealing the code. No one has to die or even get hurt; but, as in novels and in real life, things go awfully wrong very quickly and our narrator becomes trapped in a situation which is way beyond his control.
The problem with The Thief is that it does not go anywhere; ultimately, there is no point to anything that happens. No grand revelation, or even a minor one; nothing to make us care for either the protagonist or any of the supporting characters. The most interesting part of the book is not even the main heist, but a subplot involving our narrator discovering a young boy who clumsily tries to steal food from a convenience store, which leads to him becoming a mentor-figure for the boy an an affair with the boy's mother; but even the mother and her son ultimately turn out to be nothing more than plot devices, serving only to move it further along. The worst offense is probably the reveal of the mastermind behind our narrator's complex situation, who comes out as a little more than a cliched evil guy, completely impervious to the world around him and for story reasons is allowed to act with complete impunity.
When I began to read The Thief, I expected a literary mystery, or even metaphysical crime fiction in the vein of Paul Auster; unfortunately, it is neither. As was the case with Last Winter We Parted, the book left me feeling empty and unmoved; although it is definitely more readable than its successor, I ultimately find it hard to recommend as I fear it will simply leave no impression upon completing it.
September 13, 2023
Cold yet fascinating thriller centred round a professional pick pocket who gets drawn into working with the Yakuza. Somewhat trying too hard to be clever, in my opinion. A good little read, that will most likely become a landmark indie or World Cinema film one day. With my lukewarm praise this got a 5 out of 12, strong Two Stars.
2013 read
2013 read
January 14, 2019
Damn, just… *pours a glass of sake and downs it in one go* … just damn.
Do you want a bleak noir? I don’t mean a sympathetic criminal narrator who get’s his comeuppance tragically, or a hard boiled private eye getting stuck sending his love interest to the slammer after solving that she committed the crime; I mean something that is soul crushing. Something that makes you wonder what the point is of… well, everything.
The plot follows our narrator after he returns to Tokyo. He’s been gone for a while, ever since a simple armed robbery job went… well, wrong for him at least. His partner is missing and presumed dead, and the only person he now has any connection with is a young boy who would like to learn the tricks of his trade. Now our narrator is just a pickpocket, and would like to remain so, keeping his anonymous sense of self, but a mob boss has taken an interest in him, and has plans for his future.
Author Fuminori Nakamura writes what has been referred to as “zen noir” and I can’t honestly think of a better way to describe this. This is a philosophical novel, with a gritty crime twist. This is the sort of book where characters debate morality and the worth of an individual life. Characters consider the meaning of life and the idea of fate… and in the end, they are no closer to answering it than they were before.
Our narrator is a shockingly well-developed character, even though very little is actually said about him. It’s a great example of “show, don’t tell” as it’s the little things that are not said that builds his personality. Unless I missed it, I don’t even think he is ever given a name (it may have been mentioned in one line of conversation, but I can’t find it), yet he’s given so many interesting personality traits that I felt like he was more realistic than many narrators in significantly longer works. I particularly liked this little quirk where he occasionally would pick a pocket out of reflex and not even notice that he did so (and that these wallets would almost consistently have more money in them than any of the ones he consciously stole).
It’s a book rich with symbolism, but it also keeps its plot running at a breakneck pace. It’s a slim book at only 211 pages and, while it manages to have a few quiet moments, it always feels like a ticking time bomb that you just don’t know when it will go off. A friend of mine here on Goodreads said I could probably finish it in one sitting, and indeed I might have, if I had not gotten so overwhelmed by its bleak outlook. There were moments in this one that had me almost physically recoiling. It’s not extremely violent, or at least not graphically so, but it’s the sort of book that gets under your skin as you consider the bigger picture.
This is an excellent book. Better than I feel I can possibly express, but it is not one I can suggest to everyone. It’s a book that I think pretty much everyone will walk away from with mixed feelings… but overall, I feel it’s well worth a read if one is feeling up to it. A solid 4/5 stars
Do you want a bleak noir? I don’t mean a sympathetic criminal narrator who get’s his comeuppance tragically, or a hard boiled private eye getting stuck sending his love interest to the slammer after solving that she committed the crime; I mean something that is soul crushing. Something that makes you wonder what the point is of… well, everything.
The plot follows our narrator after he returns to Tokyo. He’s been gone for a while, ever since a simple armed robbery job went… well, wrong for him at least. His partner is missing and presumed dead, and the only person he now has any connection with is a young boy who would like to learn the tricks of his trade. Now our narrator is just a pickpocket, and would like to remain so, keeping his anonymous sense of self, but a mob boss has taken an interest in him, and has plans for his future.
Author Fuminori Nakamura writes what has been referred to as “zen noir” and I can’t honestly think of a better way to describe this. This is a philosophical novel, with a gritty crime twist. This is the sort of book where characters debate morality and the worth of an individual life. Characters consider the meaning of life and the idea of fate… and in the end, they are no closer to answering it than they were before.
Our narrator is a shockingly well-developed character, even though very little is actually said about him. It’s a great example of “show, don’t tell” as it’s the little things that are not said that builds his personality. Unless I missed it, I don’t even think he is ever given a name (it may have been mentioned in one line of conversation, but I can’t find it), yet he’s given so many interesting personality traits that I felt like he was more realistic than many narrators in significantly longer works. I particularly liked this little quirk where he occasionally would pick a pocket out of reflex and not even notice that he did so (and that these wallets would almost consistently have more money in them than any of the ones he consciously stole).
It’s a book rich with symbolism, but it also keeps its plot running at a breakneck pace. It’s a slim book at only 211 pages and, while it manages to have a few quiet moments, it always feels like a ticking time bomb that you just don’t know when it will go off. A friend of mine here on Goodreads said I could probably finish it in one sitting, and indeed I might have, if I had not gotten so overwhelmed by its bleak outlook. There were moments in this one that had me almost physically recoiling. It’s not extremely violent, or at least not graphically so, but it’s the sort of book that gets under your skin as you consider the bigger picture.
This is an excellent book. Better than I feel I can possibly express, but it is not one I can suggest to everyone. It’s a book that I think pretty much everyone will walk away from with mixed feelings… but overall, I feel it’s well worth a read if one is feeling up to it. A solid 4/5 stars
April 1, 2022
"What will happen to me in the end. What happens to people who live the way I do? That's what I'd like to know.”
Fuminori Nakamura's The Thief provides an engaging perspective on the day to day life of a Japanese pickpocket. While the routines our thief uses is interesting, and the details make it believable, this work is really compelling as a psychological study. I know some people didn't like the ending. It was sort of a gut punch. At first I wanted more, but after thinking about it, I felt that it worked perfectly. 4.25 stars
Fuminori Nakamura's The Thief provides an engaging perspective on the day to day life of a Japanese pickpocket. While the routines our thief uses is interesting, and the details make it believable, this work is really compelling as a psychological study. I know some people didn't like the ending. It was sort of a gut punch. At first I wanted more, but after thinking about it, I felt that it worked perfectly. 4.25 stars
October 31, 2025
A professional pickpocket finds himself in the middle of a complex maze of deceit with no way out. When he picks the pocket of a prominent politician (who is murdered) he finds that there are individuals that want to use him as a 'mark'...like it or not. Atmospheric and chilling - a great crime novel.
February 25, 2019
Fuminori Nakamura’s novel The Thief has the distinction of being a quick, fast-paced read without really having a plot! Our protagonist is a skilled Tokyo pickpocket who gets roped into one scheme after another by the Yakuza (Japanese mafia) – until he isn’t.
Nakamura might’ve mentioned the main character’s name at some point but I’ve completely forgotten it. Not that he has much of a character anyway – like everyone else in the book, he’s essentially a cipher. He effortlessly picks anyone’s pocket, so what he does for most of the book is unexciting and rote, though it’s not clear why. He doesn’t seem to need any of the vast sums of cash he steals daily nor does he enjoy doing it and Nakamura never goes on to enlighten the reader further! Later on, he’s blackmailed by a mob boss to do something or he’ll be killed, which he goes along with but why does he want to live anyway – unless it’s just basic survival instinct keeping him going? Yeah, completely unfathomable and not the most memorable character at all.
Like the main character’s motivations, the entire story felt pointless. Towards the end, the cartoonish mob boss says something about toppling society but it’s vague and unsatisfying. It’s mostly one pickpocketing scene after another, broken up by a robbery and a subplot involving a prostitute and her son that felt tacked-on, sentimental and baffling as to its inclusion. And, as expected for a directionless story, the ending is flat, empty and underwhelming. What was Nakamura driving at? Was there anything he wanted to impart? I got no strong impression one way or the other and it all felt random and murky at best.
Oh dear - it sounds like I’m really down on this one, eh? The thing is, despite all of the above, I kinda liked it! Because the protagonist is always doing something, and the writing is so smooth, the pages fly by. The old man robbery and the Yakuza boss telling his rambling fable in the sex club were both unusual and interesting scenes. While Nakamura leans heavily on noir genre conventions with its clichéd characters and their unimaginative struggles – basically for all: money – the book never annoyed or bored me.
It’s a literary crime thriller that’s very superficial in all of those aspects, and I expect I’ll have forgotten it all sooner rather than later, but I wouldn’t call it a bad novel either; unfocused is probably the best word. The Thief is a slick and easy read that goes down effortlessly though it’s hella shallow too.
Nakamura might’ve mentioned the main character’s name at some point but I’ve completely forgotten it. Not that he has much of a character anyway – like everyone else in the book, he’s essentially a cipher. He effortlessly picks anyone’s pocket, so what he does for most of the book is unexciting and rote, though it’s not clear why. He doesn’t seem to need any of the vast sums of cash he steals daily nor does he enjoy doing it and Nakamura never goes on to enlighten the reader further! Later on, he’s blackmailed by a mob boss to do something or he’ll be killed, which he goes along with but why does he want to live anyway – unless it’s just basic survival instinct keeping him going? Yeah, completely unfathomable and not the most memorable character at all.
Like the main character’s motivations, the entire story felt pointless. Towards the end, the cartoonish mob boss says something about toppling society but it’s vague and unsatisfying. It’s mostly one pickpocketing scene after another, broken up by a robbery and a subplot involving a prostitute and her son that felt tacked-on, sentimental and baffling as to its inclusion. And, as expected for a directionless story, the ending is flat, empty and underwhelming. What was Nakamura driving at? Was there anything he wanted to impart? I got no strong impression one way or the other and it all felt random and murky at best.
Oh dear - it sounds like I’m really down on this one, eh? The thing is, despite all of the above, I kinda liked it! Because the protagonist is always doing something, and the writing is so smooth, the pages fly by. The old man robbery and the Yakuza boss telling his rambling fable in the sex club were both unusual and interesting scenes. While Nakamura leans heavily on noir genre conventions with its clichéd characters and their unimaginative struggles – basically for all: money – the book never annoyed or bored me.
It’s a literary crime thriller that’s very superficial in all of those aspects, and I expect I’ll have forgotten it all sooner rather than later, but I wouldn’t call it a bad novel either; unfocused is probably the best word. The Thief is a slick and easy read that goes down effortlessly though it’s hella shallow too.
March 23, 2012
Film Noir meets Georges Simenon
“The Thief” was amazingly good. It’s about a Tokyo pick pocket who gets caught up with some big time criminals. It’s a very short book so I was shocked at how psychological it was. I’m not sure how the author was able to include such an in depth take on Nishimura, the main character in so few words. Nishimura spends his days on packed trains and packed streets finding his mark and swiftly moving in. He has standards though. He only takes the cash and puts the rest of the wallet with its contents in the mail to be sent back to his victim. Then an old friendship leads him to the gangsters. He’s forced into pulling what they say is a one time job. Nishimura is a loner until a street kid and his mother manage to touch his heart though he spends all his time denying it. This complicates his life but also makes him feel more hopeful.
It’s not so much what happens in this book that’s important but the meaning behind it. “The Thief” has a Film Noir atmosphere to it and I was also reminded of Georges Simenon’s fiction. There’s a dark cloud hanging over Nishimura and though he works hard to carefully put one foot in front of the other doom seems to hover right behind him. I still can’t believe the level of insight Nakamura was able to cram into so few words. He’s definitely a writer to keep your eye on. I hope the translations keep coming.
4.5/5
This review was based on an e-galley provided by the publisher.
“The Thief” was amazingly good. It’s about a Tokyo pick pocket who gets caught up with some big time criminals. It’s a very short book so I was shocked at how psychological it was. I’m not sure how the author was able to include such an in depth take on Nishimura, the main character in so few words. Nishimura spends his days on packed trains and packed streets finding his mark and swiftly moving in. He has standards though. He only takes the cash and puts the rest of the wallet with its contents in the mail to be sent back to his victim. Then an old friendship leads him to the gangsters. He’s forced into pulling what they say is a one time job. Nishimura is a loner until a street kid and his mother manage to touch his heart though he spends all his time denying it. This complicates his life but also makes him feel more hopeful.
It’s not so much what happens in this book that’s important but the meaning behind it. “The Thief” has a Film Noir atmosphere to it and I was also reminded of Georges Simenon’s fiction. There’s a dark cloud hanging over Nishimura and though he works hard to carefully put one foot in front of the other doom seems to hover right behind him. I still can’t believe the level of insight Nakamura was able to cram into so few words. He’s definitely a writer to keep your eye on. I hope the translations keep coming.
4.5/5
This review was based on an e-galley provided by the publisher.
February 18, 2022
It's a fast paced, enjoyable, no-nonsense and economically-written hard boiled thriller/noir.
I really like how the author, Mr. Nakamura wrote about different criminal activities and how the mind of criminals actually work (to a point that it looks to me like he had soaked himself with criminality to get such intimate knowledge), he made it all seem believable and real. The Thief is a book which can keep you at the edge of your seat, although I have mixed feeling about the ending, still it's a decent ending though it's a bit weak.
Edited@08/12/2020 : years ago I'd read the English translation of this book, then this year I read the Chinese translation of this book, it is a quick read, the sense of urgency and desperation is well crafted, the crew is small in number but each character serves their own purposes finely, the writing is 'to-the-point', no-nonsense and I am impressed by how the author planned his book without any long-winded stuff, I like it.
I really like how the author, Mr. Nakamura wrote about different criminal activities and how the mind of criminals actually work (to a point that it looks to me like he had soaked himself with criminality to get such intimate knowledge), he made it all seem believable and real. The Thief is a book which can keep you at the edge of your seat, although I have mixed feeling about the ending, still it's a decent ending though it's a bit weak.
Edited@08/12/2020 : years ago I'd read the English translation of this book, then this year I read the Chinese translation of this book, it is a quick read, the sense of urgency and desperation is well crafted, the crew is small in number but each character serves their own purposes finely, the writing is 'to-the-point', no-nonsense and I am impressed by how the author planned his book without any long-winded stuff, I like it.
March 9, 2024
4 stars (English title: The Thief)
short review for busy readers: typical Japanese style. Simple language, little description, no explanations of motives or feelings, short dialogues, slightly disjointed plot. Nonetheless, a gripping story about a master pickpocket who steals for the thrill. Two chance encounters throw his life onto a completely different course and force him to reexamine his past. Fast read.
in detail:
I’ll be the first to admit, East Asian writing and I don’t get along too well. Despite my dislike of the style it’s written in, the novel gained my complete respect by the final page.
What is fate? the novel asks.
Is fate the poverty we were born into, like our pickpocket? Or perhaps it’s the personality trait that sees joyful theft as a way to overcome the humiliation of birth for a brief space of time? To get our own back. To stop feeling like a slave/ victim of fate, even for a few moments.
Or, no. Perhaps it’s the people we meet who have the power – whether they know it or not - to change the course of our lives, for good or ill. Is that really our fate?
Or perhaps it’s the people at the very top who we know almost nothing about, but with so much power that they see themselves as gods. Those mafiosiesque people for whom others are little more than toys or tools and are never considered in their games.
“What those at the pinnacle hardly care about, is for those way below a matter of life and death,” says one character at the end of the novel.
Is that the human face of a much greater phenomenon? the novel asks. Maybe god or the universe or life itself is just like that, caring nothing for those on the bottom, but playing with and orchestrating their lives - allowing them to live or die based on nothing but whim?
Our pickpocket finds out the hard way that he will never escape his fate. Never escape the people he's run into in the course of his life. Never be able to steal his way out.
Despite the compact style, I still felt a few points of the novel were slow and I couldn’t entirely understand the motivations of the MC all the time, due to the character only telling us what he does, not what he thinks or feels.
This novel is for fans of Japan and those who like copless crime novels with an exotic twist.
short review for busy readers: typical Japanese style. Simple language, little description, no explanations of motives or feelings, short dialogues, slightly disjointed plot. Nonetheless, a gripping story about a master pickpocket who steals for the thrill. Two chance encounters throw his life onto a completely different course and force him to reexamine his past. Fast read.
in detail:
I’ll be the first to admit, East Asian writing and I don’t get along too well. Despite my dislike of the style it’s written in, the novel gained my complete respect by the final page.
What is fate? the novel asks.
Is fate the poverty we were born into, like our pickpocket? Or perhaps it’s the personality trait that sees joyful theft as a way to overcome the humiliation of birth for a brief space of time? To get our own back. To stop feeling like a slave/ victim of fate, even for a few moments.
Or, no. Perhaps it’s the people we meet who have the power – whether they know it or not - to change the course of our lives, for good or ill. Is that really our fate?
Or perhaps it’s the people at the very top who we know almost nothing about, but with so much power that they see themselves as gods. Those mafiosiesque people for whom others are little more than toys or tools and are never considered in their games.
“What those at the pinnacle hardly care about, is for those way below a matter of life and death,” says one character at the end of the novel.
Is that the human face of a much greater phenomenon? the novel asks. Maybe god or the universe or life itself is just like that, caring nothing for those on the bottom, but playing with and orchestrating their lives - allowing them to live or die based on nothing but whim?
Our pickpocket finds out the hard way that he will never escape his fate. Never escape the people he's run into in the course of his life. Never be able to steal his way out.
Despite the compact style, I still felt a few points of the novel were slow and I couldn’t entirely understand the motivations of the MC all the time, due to the character only telling us what he does, not what he thinks or feels.
This novel is for fans of Japan and those who like copless crime novels with an exotic twist.
May 8, 2019
Japanese noir! Not only must the skill of the author be admired, but that of the translators who took a Japanese novel, albeit a short novel, and turned it into an English-language novel. I don't know if in Japanese it had the same feel to it, the same Rhythm, the same cadence, but it has a real sense to it in English, a real feel To it rather than simply being an awkward translation.
It's an unusual novel and rather than being an action piece, it is a slow languid ode to a man who is a solitary traveler through the Tokyo crowds, a master craftsman at the art of pickpocketing.
As long as he lives outside the bounds of society, disconnected, nearly ethereal, he is successful. It is only when he makes connections that he is flesh and blood again and exposed to danger. It is only then that he is tamed and captured.
It is a rather enjoyable piece that evokes certain feelings but it is meant to be a short piece not a full deep novel.
It's an unusual novel and rather than being an action piece, it is a slow languid ode to a man who is a solitary traveler through the Tokyo crowds, a master craftsman at the art of pickpocketing.
As long as he lives outside the bounds of society, disconnected, nearly ethereal, he is successful. It is only when he makes connections that he is flesh and blood again and exposed to danger. It is only then that he is tamed and captured.
It is a rather enjoyable piece that evokes certain feelings but it is meant to be a short piece not a full deep novel.
September 23, 2017
Yeni dönem japon bir yazarı dilimizde okuyabilmek keyifliydi. Bir antikahramanın çabuk biten hikayesi..
August 6, 2023
বই: দ্য থিফ
লেখক: ফুমিনরি নাকামুরা
অনুবাদক: ইরাজ উদ্দৌলা দিবাকর
জনরা: ফিলোসফিক্যাল ক্রাইম থ্রিলার
প্রচ্ছদ: সজল চৌধুরী
প্রকাশনী: ভূমিপ্রকাশ
পৃষ্ঠা সংখ্যা: ১২৮
মুদ্রিত মূল্য: ২২০/-
𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓸𝓫𝓿𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓵𝔂 𝓲𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓷𝓸 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓹𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓸𝔀𝓷𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓹 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮’𝓭 𝓫𝓮 𝓷𝓸 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓹𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮? 𝓐𝓼 𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮’𝓼 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓭 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓵𝓭, 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓽𝔂 𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓯𝓽.
—𝓕𝓾𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓸𝓻𝓲 𝓝𝓪𝓴𝓪𝓶𝓾𝓻𝓪, 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓮𝓯
আলো ঝলমলে এক শহর টোকিও। কিন্তু এই আলোর আশেপাশেই রয়েছে জমাট বদ্ধ অন্ধকার। আর এই ঘুটঘুটে অন্ধকারে বিচরণ করে ভাগ্যের কাছে হেরে যাওয়া মানুষরা বা অন্যের ভাগ্য নিয়ে খেলা করা মহাজনরা। তেমনি একজন নিশিমুরা, ভাগ্যের কাছে বারংবার পরাজিত হওয়া এক দক্ষ পকেটমার। টোকিওর ব্যস্ত শহরে চোখের পলকেই উঠিয়ে নেয় অন্যের ম্যানিব্যাগ বা অন্যকিছু। অনেকসময় তো নিজেই বুঝে না কখন অন্যের জিনিস চলে আসে তার পকেটে! জীবনের প্রিয় দুজনকে হারিয়ে যখন জীবন-মৃত্যুর দোটানায় তখন হঠাৎ পরিচয় হয় অজ্ঞাত মা-ছেলের সাথে। ছোট ছেলেটার মধ্যে নিজের অতীত দেখতে পায় নিশিমুরা। বেঁচে থাকার ইচ্ছে যখন মনে আবার জেগে উঠে অতীতের ভয়াবহ স্মৃতি সামনে এসে দাড়ায়! করতে হবে কিছু গুপ্ত কাজ নয়তো মৃত্যু...
মাস্টারমাইন্ড, থ্রিল-টুইস্ট, সাসপেন্স, একশনে ভরপুর হবে ❝দ্য থিফ❞ প্রথমে এমনটাই ভেবেছিলাম। কিন্তু দুঃখজনক ব্যাপার হলো এমনটা অনুপস্থিত। আর দশটা সাধারণত পকেটমারের জীবন যেমন হয়ে থাকে নিশিমুরার জবানিতে তেমনটাই দেখানো হয়েছে। তবে লেখকের গল্পবলার ধরন বেশ সহজ। জন্মের পর থেকেই ভাগ্যের সাথে লড়াই করতে থাকে অনেকেই। বেঁচে থাকার সংগ্রামে কেউ বা পা দেয় অন্ধকার জগতে। আর সে অন্ধকার জগতের বাসিন্দাদের জীবন কেমন হয়; ফিলসফি, থ্রিল, ক্রাইম, মিস্ট্রির সংমিশ্রণে বইয়ে সেটাই দেখানো হয়েছে। আগেই বলে রাখি মেইন ফোকাস পেয়েছে বইয়ের সাইকোলজিক্যাল ফিলোসোফি।
অতীত স্মৃতিচারণের সাথে বইয়ের কাহিনী এগিয়ে যায়। বন্ধু ইশিকাওয়া ও প্রেমিকা সায়েকোর কথা ভেবে যখন সময় পার হচ্ছিল তখন মার্কেটে ছোট একটা ছেলের দক্ষতার সাথে জিনিস উঠিয়ে নেওয়া দেখে নিজের ফেলে আসা দিনগুলোর কথা মনে পড়ে যায় নিশিমুরার। ছেলেটা যেন তার মতো হয়ে না ওঠে সেদিকেও নজর দেয়। হঠাৎ করে বেঁচে থাকার ইচ্ছে জেগে উঠে সাথে আবির্ভাব হয় কিজাকির। নিশিমুরা মেইন ক্যারেক্টার হলেও বইয়ে বেশ কিছু চরিত্র রয়েছে তারমধ্যে ছোট ছেলে আর কিজাকিও ফোকাসে দেখানো হয়েছে। কিজাকির বলা গল্পটা ইন্টারেস্টিং ছিল। গল্পটার জন্যই লাস্টটা প্রেডিক্টেবল। শেষ প্যারায় সমাপ্তি যেভাবে দেখানো হয়েছে, সেরা! তবে বক্সরহস্য রহস্য থেকে গেল।
অনুবাদ সহজ-সাবলীল। তবে কিছু জায়গায় কাঠখোট্টা লেগেছে। অল্পকিছু বানান ভুল আছে। ওভারঅল প্রোডাকশন ভালো হয়েছে। প্রচ্ছদটাও সুন্দর।
লেখক: ফুমিনরি নাকামুরা
অনুবাদক: ইরাজ উদ্দৌলা দিবাকর
জনরা: ফিলোসফিক্যাল ক্রাইম থ্রিলার
প্রচ্ছদ: সজল চৌধুরী
প্রকাশনী: ভূমিপ্রকাশ
পৃষ্ঠা সংখ্যা: ১২৮
মুদ্রিত মূল্য: ২২০/-
𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓸𝓫𝓿𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓵𝔂 𝓲𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓷𝓸 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓹𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓸𝔀𝓷𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓹 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮’𝓭 𝓫𝓮 𝓷𝓸 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓹𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮? 𝓐𝓼 𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮’𝓼 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓭 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓵𝓭, 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓽𝔂 𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓯𝓽.
—𝓕𝓾𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓸𝓻𝓲 𝓝𝓪𝓴𝓪𝓶𝓾𝓻𝓪, 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓮𝓯
আলো ঝলমলে এক শহর টোকিও। কিন্তু এই আলোর আশেপাশেই রয়েছে জমাট বদ্ধ অন্ধকার। আর এই ঘুটঘুটে অন্ধকারে বিচরণ করে ভাগ্যের কাছে হেরে যাওয়া মানুষরা বা অন্যের ভাগ্য নিয়ে খেলা করা মহাজনরা। তেমনি একজন নিশিমুরা, ভাগ্যের কাছে বারংবার পরাজিত হওয়া এক দক্ষ পকেটমার। টোকিওর ব্যস্ত শহরে চোখের পলকেই উঠিয়ে নেয় অন্যের ম্যানিব্যাগ বা অন্যকিছু। অনেকসময় তো নিজেই বুঝে না কখন অন্যের জিনিস চলে আসে তার পকেটে! জীবনের প্রিয় দুজনকে হারিয়ে যখন জীবন-মৃত্যুর দোটানায় তখন হঠাৎ পরিচয় হয় অজ্ঞাত মা-ছেলের সাথে। ছোট ছেলেটার মধ্যে নিজের অতীত দেখতে পায় নিশিমুরা। বেঁচে থাকার ইচ্ছে যখন মনে আবার জেগে উঠে অতীতের ভয়াবহ স্মৃতি সামনে এসে দাড়ায়! করতে হবে কিছু গুপ্ত কাজ নয়তো মৃত্যু...
মাস্টারমাইন্ড, থ্রিল-টুইস্ট, সাসপেন্স, একশনে ভরপুর হবে ❝দ্য থিফ❞ প্রথমে এমনটাই ভেবেছিলাম। কিন্তু দুঃখজনক ব্যাপার হলো এমনটা অনুপস্থিত। আর দশটা সাধারণত পকেটমারের জীবন যেমন হয়ে থাকে নিশিমুরার জবানিতে তেমনটাই দেখানো হয়েছে। তবে লেখকের গল্পবলার ধরন বেশ সহজ। জন্মের পর থেকেই ভাগ্যের সাথে লড়াই করতে থাকে অনেকেই। বেঁচে থাকার সংগ্রামে কেউ বা পা দেয় অন্ধকার জগতে। আর সে অন্ধকার জগতের বাসিন্দাদের জীবন কেমন হয়; ফিলসফি, থ্রিল, ক্রাইম, মিস্ট্রির সংমিশ্রণে বইয়ে সেটাই দেখানো হয়েছে। আগেই বলে রাখি মেইন ফোকাস পেয়েছে বইয়ের সাইকোলজিক্যাল ফিলোসোফি।
অতীত স্মৃতিচারণের সাথে বইয়ের কাহিনী এগিয়ে যায়। বন্ধু ইশিকাওয়া ও প্রেমিকা সায়েকোর কথা ভেবে যখন সময় পার হচ্ছিল তখন মার্কেটে ছোট একটা ছেলের দক্ষতার সাথে জিনিস উঠিয়ে নেওয়া দেখে নিজের ফেলে আসা দিনগুলোর কথা মনে পড়ে যায় নিশিমুরার। ছেলেটা যেন তার মতো হয়ে না ওঠে সেদিকেও নজর দেয়। হঠাৎ করে বেঁচে থাকার ইচ্ছে জেগে উঠে সাথে আবির্ভাব হয় কিজাকির। নিশিমুরা মেইন ক্যারেক্টার হলেও বইয়ে বেশ কিছু চরিত্র রয়েছে তারমধ্যে ছোট ছেলে আর কিজাকিও ফোকাসে দেখানো হয়েছে। কিজাকির বলা গল্পটা ইন্টারেস্টিং ছিল। গল্পটার জন্যই লাস্টটা প্রেডিক্টেবল। শেষ প্যারায় সমাপ্তি যেভাবে দেখানো হয়েছে, সেরা! তবে বক্সরহস্য রহস্য থেকে গেল।
অনুবাদ সহজ-সাবলীল। তবে কিছু জায়গায় কাঠখোট্টা লেগেছে। অল্পকিছু বানান ভুল আছে। ওভারঅল প্রোডাকশন ভালো হয়েছে। প্রচ্ছদটাও সুন্দর।
May 23, 2012
Despite being regularly underwhelmed by Japanese crime fiction, I continue to pick it up in the hopes of finding a writer or story that clicks. Unfortunately, this book proved to be another dud. The story follows a highly talented pickpocket who meets up with an old friend/criminal and gets sucked into a scheme masterminded by a mysterious man. He is made the proverbial offer he can't refuse -- a series of increasingly difficult thefts that he must complete or he will be killed. This could theoretically work as the plot of a neo-noir thriller, except that the pickpocket is such a cipher that there's nothing for the reader to connect with. Like a lot of protagonists I seem to come across in Japanese crime fiction, he's a loner mired in his own sense of ennui. A subplot introduces a young boy whom he half-heartedly mentors and protects, but that comes across mainly as sentimental window-dressing. There's a lot of wallowing in existentialism, and conundrums about the nature and role of fate, and none of it says anything interesting. I could see how it might work much better as a stylish film, where the craft of the pickpocket can come more alive and the emptiness at its core can be given some visual heft, but I surely can't recommend this book. A better use of one's time would be to read Crime and Punishment and watch Robert Bresson's 1959 film, Pickpocket.
April 14, 2018
Derinliği olmayan, basit bir öyküyü basit cümleler ve basit bir kurguyla anlatan bir novella. Biraz polisiye yönü katılmış ki sürükleyiciliği bu sağlıyor. Sıradan sosyolojik tahlillerle hikayeye ciddiyet kazandırma gayretine girilmiş.
Benzer tüm yapıtlarda olduğu gibi (örneğin Yankesiciler isimli Kolombiya’da çekilmiş bir film) hırsızlık ve yankesicilik “yasal” değil ama toplum nezdinde “meşru” gibi gösterilip hikayenin kahramanını yüceltme, ona sempati yaratma isteği var, bu ise kolaya kaçış gibi geliyor bana. Okuma listenizde ise kafanızı rahatlatmak istediğiniz bir zamanda okuyun.
Benzer tüm yapıtlarda olduğu gibi (örneğin Yankesiciler isimli Kolombiya’da çekilmiş bir film) hırsızlık ve yankesicilik “yasal” değil ama toplum nezdinde “meşru” gibi gösterilip hikayenin kahramanını yüceltme, ona sempati yaratma isteği var, bu ise kolaya kaçış gibi geliyor bana. Okuma listenizde ise kafanızı rahatlatmak istediğiniz bir zamanda okuyun.
March 26, 2012
for a longer and much more in-depth review, redirect here.
The Thief is a very good read, intensely satisfying with a great deal of psychological depth to go along with the crime elements of the novel. The central character is a pickpocket named Nishimura (whose name is only stated once) who has sharpened his skills to an elite level over the years to the point where he can easily remove a wallet, sift through its contents and sometimes return it to its owner, all without the victim's knowledge. He takes money and leaves the rest of the contents, always clever enough to avoid holding onto anything that would attract police attention. He plies his trade in crowded places, subways, trains, etc., possessing an uncanny ability to blend in well no matter where he finds himself; conversely, he lives anonymously and has very few human ties. He had a girlfriend once, and he has a friend, Ishikawa, who was wanted in connection with fraud. Avoiding the warrant issued for his arrest, Ishikawa left for the Phillipines, Pakistan (where he officially "died") and Kenya before returning to Japan to assume the identity of a dead man. Complicating matters, our narrator becomes involved with a mother and son whom he first meets in a supermarket, where they make an inept attempt at stealing food. Even though he is a complete loner, he begins to feel a bond with the boy, whose path he crosses more than once since the boy is often sent out on shoplifting missions by his mother, a prostitute and drug addict.
With Ishikawa back in Tokyo, the narrator is drawn into the darkest circle of Tokyo's underworld scene, where he comes across a sociopathic crime boss for whom power seems to be the acme of earthly existence. He gets caught up in a home robbery which goes very badly, not solely for the owner of the item the narrator and his cohorts are recruited to steal, but also for some of the criminals involved. As a result of his participation, the narrator finds himself in an impossible situation with an untenable outcome: either he faces a nearly-impossible challenge of his criminal lifetime or he loses the one valuable thing he has.
The Thief is an intense read, although it may disappoint some readers because of its lack of clear-cut standard formulations to which people have become accustomed in their crime fiction. There is a wonderful "story-within-a-story" segment within the novel dealing with both power and fate, turning the reader's attention to issues beyond the crimes committed in this book. It does take some getting used to, but once you get into it, the author amps up the pace without using any gimmicky literary devices, letting the suspense build until you have to keep turning pages just to find out what's going to happen.
Kudos to Soho for bringing this book to the reading public.
The Thief is a very good read, intensely satisfying with a great deal of psychological depth to go along with the crime elements of the novel. The central character is a pickpocket named Nishimura (whose name is only stated once) who has sharpened his skills to an elite level over the years to the point where he can easily remove a wallet, sift through its contents and sometimes return it to its owner, all without the victim's knowledge. He takes money and leaves the rest of the contents, always clever enough to avoid holding onto anything that would attract police attention. He plies his trade in crowded places, subways, trains, etc., possessing an uncanny ability to blend in well no matter where he finds himself; conversely, he lives anonymously and has very few human ties. He had a girlfriend once, and he has a friend, Ishikawa, who was wanted in connection with fraud. Avoiding the warrant issued for his arrest, Ishikawa left for the Phillipines, Pakistan (where he officially "died") and Kenya before returning to Japan to assume the identity of a dead man. Complicating matters, our narrator becomes involved with a mother and son whom he first meets in a supermarket, where they make an inept attempt at stealing food. Even though he is a complete loner, he begins to feel a bond with the boy, whose path he crosses more than once since the boy is often sent out on shoplifting missions by his mother, a prostitute and drug addict.
With Ishikawa back in Tokyo, the narrator is drawn into the darkest circle of Tokyo's underworld scene, where he comes across a sociopathic crime boss for whom power seems to be the acme of earthly existence. He gets caught up in a home robbery which goes very badly, not solely for the owner of the item the narrator and his cohorts are recruited to steal, but also for some of the criminals involved. As a result of his participation, the narrator finds himself in an impossible situation with an untenable outcome: either he faces a nearly-impossible challenge of his criminal lifetime or he loses the one valuable thing he has.
The Thief is an intense read, although it may disappoint some readers because of its lack of clear-cut standard formulations to which people have become accustomed in their crime fiction. There is a wonderful "story-within-a-story" segment within the novel dealing with both power and fate, turning the reader's attention to issues beyond the crimes committed in this book. It does take some getting used to, but once you get into it, the author amps up the pace without using any gimmicky literary devices, letting the suspense build until you have to keep turning pages just to find out what's going to happen.
Kudos to Soho for bringing this book to the reading public.
July 21, 2018
I'd forced myself a little reluctantly through Nakamura's "Cult X" which at 512 pages was probably 200 pages too long (my review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), so I was pleasantly surprised by how good this earlier novel was. To the point, engaging, and staffed with an interesting antihero and believable, surprising plot. The ending was, er, very Japanese, let's say, but what a good noir. Well narrated and translated.
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Download my starter library for free here - http://eepurl.com/bFkt0X - and receive my monthly newsletter with book recommendations galore for the Japanophile, crime-fiction-lover in all of us.
April 1, 2017
One of my goals for 2017 is to read more Asian translated fiction, a goal that I'm thus far failing at SPECTACULARLY. I've also been in the mood for a ton of thrillers recently, so when I stumbled across this thriller on my local library's Overdrive - a thriller that's set in Japan and has been translated from Japanese - I was instantly sold.
To be honest, I mostly found this...confusing.
Like, you're thrown straight into the action. I think the protagonist's name is mentioned MAYBE once? In passing? Maybe?? I honestly didn't know his name until I was reading through a bunch of reviews on here.
Anyway, he's a pickpocket. But, like, a Robin Hood style pickpocket, who only steals from those who can afford it. Then his first partner comes back into his life and is like "Hey, wanna help me rob this rich old dude?" Except it turns out they're not just stealing money. Also the rich old dude is a politician. Also he gets murdered the next day. So maybe this shit is pretty serious.
All that sounds pretty straight forward, and this is a fairly short book. However. I found the plot kind of...meandering? It took a while to get going, and then there was the whole subplot with the random sex worker and her pickpocketing son and I honestly didn't know what to make of that (or the fact that I'm pretty sure she's the only female character who's on the page more than once).
On the whole, this has a very noir feel to it, which I loved. But there was a LOT going on for such a short book, and I found it a little tricky to keep all the threads straight in my head at times. And then THAT ENDING. WHAT THE SHIT WAS THAT ENDING?????
So yeah. I didn't hate it. But I didn't love it. It balances out to meh.
To be honest, I mostly found this...confusing.
Like, you're thrown straight into the action. I think the protagonist's name is mentioned MAYBE once? In passing? Maybe?? I honestly didn't know his name until I was reading through a bunch of reviews on here.
Anyway, he's a pickpocket. But, like, a Robin Hood style pickpocket, who only steals from those who can afford it. Then his first partner comes back into his life and is like "Hey, wanna help me rob this rich old dude?" Except it turns out they're not just stealing money. Also the rich old dude is a politician. Also he gets murdered the next day. So maybe this shit is pretty serious.
All that sounds pretty straight forward, and this is a fairly short book. However. I found the plot kind of...meandering? It took a while to get going, and then there was the whole subplot with the random sex worker and her pickpocketing son and I honestly didn't know what to make of that (or the fact that I'm pretty sure she's the only female character who's on the page more than once).
On the whole, this has a very noir feel to it, which I loved. But there was a LOT going on for such a short book, and I found it a little tricky to keep all the threads straight in my head at times. And then THAT ENDING. WHAT THE SHIT WAS THAT ENDING?????
So yeah. I didn't hate it. But I didn't love it. It balances out to meh.
March 13, 2022
دیگه هیچوقت نمیذارم توقعم از کتابی بره بالا، حتی اگه خیل پنجدهندگانش انقدر زیاد باشه!
توی کل کتاب سوال «خب که چی؟» مدام توی ذهنم تکرار میشد. نه فرازی وجود داشت نه فرودی. متوجهم که نویسنده داره زندگی و هدفش رو به دنیای استعاره میکشونه، ولی این به تنهایی برای من کافی نیست. من نتیجهگیری درست حسابی میخوام. نقطهی اوج میخوام. شخصیتهایی میخوام که توی ذهنم حک بشن. روزمرگیهای یه جیببر حرفهای برام کسلکنندهست. بیشتر از یک هفته طول کشید این لعنتی رو بخونم به امید یه پایان خوب و حتی اونم برام ناامیدکننده بود. *از اینجا به بعد اسپویل داره اگه خیلی حساسید نخونید* طرف توی بدبختی زندگی کرد و توی بدبختی موند؟ همین؟ خب که چی؟ آخه حتی تلاشی هم نکرد از بدبختیهاش بیرون بیاد که من برای عاقبتش غصه بخورم! بهش هشدار دادن از شهر بره بیرون و اونم به هیچجاش نگرفت. خب معلومه میزنن شتکت میکنن دیگه. عاقبت دورازانتظاری نداشتی بندهی خدا. حداقل یهذره از مرگ دوستت عبرت میگرفتی انقدر دلم نمیسوخت.
نه، اصلاً داستان خوبی نبود.
توی کل کتاب سوال «خب که چی؟» مدام توی ذهنم تکرار میشد. نه فرازی وجود داشت نه فرودی. متوجهم که نویسنده داره زندگی و هدفش رو به دنیای استعاره میکشونه، ولی این به تنهایی برای من کافی نیست. من نتیجهگیری درست حسابی میخوام. نقطهی اوج میخوام. شخصیتهایی میخوام که توی ذهنم حک بشن. روزمرگیهای یه جیببر حرفهای برام کسلکنندهست. بیشتر از یک هفته طول کشید این لعنتی رو بخونم به امید یه پایان خوب و حتی اونم برام ناامیدکننده بود. *از اینجا به بعد اسپویل داره اگه خیلی حساسید نخونید* طرف توی بدبختی زندگی کرد و توی بدبختی موند؟ همین؟ خب که چی؟ آخه حتی تلاشی هم نکرد از بدبختیهاش بیرون بیاد که من برای عاقبتش غصه بخورم! بهش هشدار دادن از شهر بره بیرون و اونم به هیچجاش نگرفت. خب معلومه میزنن شتکت میکنن دیگه. عاقبت دورازانتظاری نداشتی بندهی خدا. حداقل یهذره از مرگ دوستت عبرت میگرفتی انقدر دلم نمیسوخت.
نه، اصلاً داستان خوبی نبود.
October 18, 2021
This was great.
Thrilled me to the very end!
Thrilled me to the very end!
April 3, 2017
3.5/5
Nói chung cuốn này không hẳn đặc sắc lắm, có vài đoạn cũng khá cuốn hút lúc nhân vật 'tôi' hành nghề móc túi :))
Còn lại tổng thể bình thường.
Nói chung cuốn này không hẳn đặc sắc lắm, có vài đoạn cũng khá cuốn hút lúc nhân vật 'tôi' hành nghề móc túi :))
Còn lại tổng thể bình thường.
January 21, 2021
Tek oturuşta okunan Japon Edebiyatı mı? Bayılırım.
March 21, 2023
Bardzo interesująca i dobrze napisana, choć nie była szczególnie emocjonująca, to jednak trzymała w pewnym napięciu. Liczyłam na więcej kryminału i tajemnicy, a to bardziej gangsterka, stąd ocena
November 29, 2012
I must admit to having read very little Japanese crime fiction, but drawn by a cover quote from Natsuo Kirino, the author of the remarkable ‘Out’, I was immediately hooked by this bijou slice of Japanese noir. Centred on the criminal activities of pickpocket, Nishimura, this is a at times shocking, but poignant tale of the seedy underbelly of Tokyo. Nishimura spends his days targeting prosperous looking individuals with his deft pickpocketing skills but then finds himself coerced by a fellow friend and member of the criminal fraternity into a seemingly straightforward house invasion that leads to murder. Manipulated by an enigmatic and philosophical crime boss, Kizaki, he finds himself in a desperate situation and is forced to take part in another job that leads himself into great peril. Running alongside this we also see a tentative friendship develop between Nishimura and a young boy who is falling into criminal ways due to the instability of his home life, and this relationship is beautifully captured as Nishimura, himself a criminal, attempts to liberate his protege from a life of crime.
This book is wonderful example of less being so much more with its brevity of narrative style and the compact nature of its prose. Despite its sparseness of style it captures all the salient details of location and atmosphere of everyday life in Tokyo, and the grim human experiences that lurk beneath this quintessentially modern metropolis. The characterisation is pitch perfect as Nishimura is raised from the status of common thief to an all to human protagonist, attempting to rescue the young boy and also by the references to Saeko, a former lover, whose absence impacts strongly on Nishimura’s psyche. The crime boss, Kizaki, is a debonair yet utterly ruthless man, who thinks nothing of using others as sacrificial pawns and using a high degree of reason and intelligence to achieve his aims.
A slim but ultimately satisfying read that rises above a simple tag of crime thriller into an altogether more literary exploration of the criminal mind that challenges the reader’s assumptions at every turn. A tale of morality and redemption in equal measure. and an author that I will certainly return to in the future.
This book is wonderful example of less being so much more with its brevity of narrative style and the compact nature of its prose. Despite its sparseness of style it captures all the salient details of location and atmosphere of everyday life in Tokyo, and the grim human experiences that lurk beneath this quintessentially modern metropolis. The characterisation is pitch perfect as Nishimura is raised from the status of common thief to an all to human protagonist, attempting to rescue the young boy and also by the references to Saeko, a former lover, whose absence impacts strongly on Nishimura’s psyche. The crime boss, Kizaki, is a debonair yet utterly ruthless man, who thinks nothing of using others as sacrificial pawns and using a high degree of reason and intelligence to achieve his aims.
A slim but ultimately satisfying read that rises above a simple tag of crime thriller into an altogether more literary exploration of the criminal mind that challenges the reader’s assumptions at every turn. A tale of morality and redemption in equal measure. and an author that I will certainly return to in the future.
February 23, 2022
“But obviously if there was no concept of ownership there’d be no concept of stealing, would there? As long as there’s one starving child in the world, all property is theft.”
A surprisingly deep book that has a deceptively simple plotline and is in the format of a crime novel. The narrator is a pickpocket with a past and highly skilled in his 'profession'. So much so that he can take out a wallet, take only the money and keep back the wallet if required.
When an old friend contacts him for a one-off job, he crosses path with a sociopathic don with a God complex. They go on a job in which they are the dispensable fall guys and soon the thief finds himself in an impossible position. He has to finish a critical job or else he gets a prostitute and her son killed. The latter is someone he develops a warm bond with and taken under his wings.
The story is not the point. The point is the noir type narrative for existential fiction. The author does not try to tie up loose ends - just like in real life and leaves some questions unanswered. It's as if the book is a philosophical sojourn and forgets the reader what it was saying.
Sample this: “Why does the subconscious mind make people steal? Why does it have to be stealing? Don’t you think it’s something deep-rooted in our nature?”
“Taste everything in the whole world. Even if you should fail at these tasks, taste the emotion that comes with failure.”
Loved the off-beat existentialism of this Japanese translation.
A surprisingly deep book that has a deceptively simple plotline and is in the format of a crime novel. The narrator is a pickpocket with a past and highly skilled in his 'profession'. So much so that he can take out a wallet, take only the money and keep back the wallet if required.
When an old friend contacts him for a one-off job, he crosses path with a sociopathic don with a God complex. They go on a job in which they are the dispensable fall guys and soon the thief finds himself in an impossible position. He has to finish a critical job or else he gets a prostitute and her son killed. The latter is someone he develops a warm bond with and taken under his wings.
The story is not the point. The point is the noir type narrative for existential fiction. The author does not try to tie up loose ends - just like in real life and leaves some questions unanswered. It's as if the book is a philosophical sojourn and forgets the reader what it was saying.
Sample this: “Why does the subconscious mind make people steal? Why does it have to be stealing? Don’t you think it’s something deep-rooted in our nature?”
“Taste everything in the whole world. Even if you should fail at these tasks, taste the emotion that comes with failure.”
Loved the off-beat existentialism of this Japanese translation.
November 21, 2021
Çok güzel bir roman, çok başarılı. Çeviri dili de akıcı. Son sayfaya kadar tempo ve heyecan düşmüyor.
“... Dünyada açlık çeken tek bir çocuk bile olduğu müddetçe, her türlü servet çalıntıdır. ...”, sf; 27.
“... Dünyada açlık çeken tek bir çocuk bile olduğu müddetçe, her türlü servet çalıntıdır. ...”, sf; 27.
May 26, 2019
Hm hoch Zwei. Keine Ahnung, warum dieses Werk als erstes von Fuminori Nakamura übersetzt wurde. Die zweite Erscheinung im Deutschen - "Die Maske" - ist wesentlich besser. Hier war der Mix aus Rückblenden und Jetzt zu konfus, die Erzählung zu traumhaft, zu wenig klar, um wirklich einen Effekt zu haben. Das Ende kam daher auch nicht überraschend, was ich schade finde.
Read
February 9, 2024🎧
DNF po 50%
DNF po 50%
June 12, 2021
There's something about this book...
I'd like to think of myself as a seasoned reader who can generally tell where a book is going before it gets to the end.
Hence, you can imagine my surprise when the last chapter of this book blindsided me like a frying pan in the face - and my mind was mired with a mixed sensation of both admiration and frustration.
Nakamura's 'The Thief' is a book designed to mislead. You're led to believe it's a mystery thriller set in Japan - only to have it end with a heavy dose of allegory tied into a cloth sack like a pile of rocks, and swung straight into your nuts.
And then once you recover from the pain - you re-read it, notice subtle nuances and multiple cryptic allusions to the "tower" - and you go - "Wait, was this ever meant to be a crime thriller? Was this an allegory all along? Did I set the wrong expectation going into this book?"
The author bends two genres and mixes them in a perplexing way that leaves you with many questions and many loose ends. However, you're then made to wonder if the loose ends are what, ironically, are meant to tie the story together.
Nishimura, the titular "thief", is a loner. A man ostracized by society and left to fend for himself by adopting one of society's worst job titles - that of a pickpocket.
The protagonist sees the rich and upper class leading a lifestyle that he was destined to never have. The perks of being high up in the hierarchy of society looms before him like a tower - he can only ever see it from below and never hope to reach the top. This leads him to revile the wealthy.
The side-cast of this story feature several characters that never got to be fleshed out, but at the same time, were probably never intended to be. Saeko, Ishikawa, the young boy and Kizaki all serve their purpose - yet never overshadow the protagonist at any point.
This is one of those books where several loose ends are left with regard to several characters, much to my chagrin. I felt betrayed.
However, when it hits you that the point of this story was probably never to tie up every plot point, but rather only focus on the protagonist's internal struggles, I felt 0.01% less betrayed.
The pickpocketing sequences are terrifically written (kudos to the translator) - and I absolutely enjoyed despising Kizaki, the antagonist, and what he stood for.
However, the jarring blend of thriller and allegory worked against the book's favor IMO - leading up to an ending that left me extremely unsatisfied. This disappointment is further exacerbated by the fact that last chapter of this book involves a fantastic crime sequence that was so, so good - only to have the last two paragraphs leave you high and dry. It was definitely a bold way to end the book - and I can see why a lot of readers would be miffed at the way things wrap up.
Maybe it's just me. But I feel like I've been duped by this book - and yet, this odd sensation which is equal parts frustration and admiration towards Nakamura? Well - I can't quite explain it.
There's something - something - about this book.
I'd like to think of myself as a seasoned reader who can generally tell where a book is going before it gets to the end.
Hence, you can imagine my surprise when the last chapter of this book blindsided me like a frying pan in the face - and my mind was mired with a mixed sensation of both admiration and frustration.
Nakamura's 'The Thief' is a book designed to mislead. You're led to believe it's a mystery thriller set in Japan - only to have it end with a heavy dose of allegory tied into a cloth sack like a pile of rocks, and swung straight into your nuts.
And then once you recover from the pain - you re-read it, notice subtle nuances and multiple cryptic allusions to the "tower" - and you go - "Wait, was this ever meant to be a crime thriller? Was this an allegory all along? Did I set the wrong expectation going into this book?"
The author bends two genres and mixes them in a perplexing way that leaves you with many questions and many loose ends. However, you're then made to wonder if the loose ends are what, ironically, are meant to tie the story together.
Nishimura, the titular "thief", is a loner. A man ostracized by society and left to fend for himself by adopting one of society's worst job titles - that of a pickpocket.
The protagonist sees the rich and upper class leading a lifestyle that he was destined to never have. The perks of being high up in the hierarchy of society looms before him like a tower - he can only ever see it from below and never hope to reach the top. This leads him to revile the wealthy.
The side-cast of this story feature several characters that never got to be fleshed out, but at the same time, were probably never intended to be. Saeko, Ishikawa, the young boy and Kizaki all serve their purpose - yet never overshadow the protagonist at any point.
This is one of those books where several loose ends are left with regard to several characters, much to my chagrin. I felt betrayed.
However, when it hits you that the point of this story was probably never to tie up every plot point, but rather only focus on the protagonist's internal struggles, I felt 0.01% less betrayed.
The pickpocketing sequences are terrifically written (kudos to the translator) - and I absolutely enjoyed despising Kizaki, the antagonist, and what he stood for.
However, the jarring blend of thriller and allegory worked against the book's favor IMO - leading up to an ending that left me extremely unsatisfied. This disappointment is further exacerbated by the fact that last chapter of this book involves a fantastic crime sequence that was so, so good - only to have the last two paragraphs leave you high and dry. It was definitely a bold way to end the book - and I can see why a lot of readers would be miffed at the way things wrap up.
Maybe it's just me. But I feel like I've been duped by this book - and yet, this odd sensation which is equal parts frustration and admiration towards Nakamura? Well - I can't quite explain it.
There's something - something - about this book.
November 2, 2017
Özetliyorum;
Bir hırsızla tanışıyoruz.
Kitapta yazarın bize yazarak değil ama satır aralarında anlattığına ya da en azından benim anladığıma gore, bu hırsız hayatta çok ezilmiş, üzülmüş, yalnız kalmış. Kimse değer vermemiş, hayata pek çok kişiden çok geride başlamış. Hayatta kalmak için sürekli mücadele etmek zorunda kalmış. Hiç ailesi olmuş mu bilmiyoruz. Hayatına hiç kimse girip çıkmış mı bilmiyoruz. Ona bu güne kadar kimsenin değer vermediğini, onu var saymadığını anlıyoruz ancak o şimdiye kadar o kimseye değer vermiş mi bunu da bilmiyoruz.
Aslında adi bir hırsız ve yetenekli bir yankesici olsa da, belli ki yazar bu adama acımamızı istiyor. Kendimizi okurken birden bire onun yerine oyarken buluyoruz. Yazık adama! Mecburen hırsız.
Ama artık yüreği taş kesilmiş bir adam bu. Üzülmüyor, ağlamıyor, korkmuyor, çekinmiyor. Pek çok duygu uğramaz olmuş. Bir yerlerde bir vicdanı olduğunu, hatta topluma karşı biraz öfkeli olduğunu seziyoruz ama bunu açıktan açığa yaşamıyor. Belli ki bu duyguların aynı zamanda birer zaaf olduğuna inanıyor, dolayısıyla hepsini bloke etmiş. Sadece hırsızlık yapıp yapayalnız hayatında, hayatta kalmaya çalışıyor. Bu kadar. Toplumdan çoktan dışlanmış ve tekrar topluma kabul edilmek gibi bir derdide yok. Yaşadığı müddetçe her şey yolunda onun için.
Bir gün bir markette acemice yiyecek birşeyler çalmaya çalışan 6 yaşında bir çocuk görüyor. (İyice yeşilçama bağladık işi)
Çocuğun yakalanması an meselesi. Kendisi usta bir hırsız olduğu için bütün detayları anında yakalıyor ve çocuk başkaları tarafından yakalanmadan once o gidip çocuğu yakalıyor.
Önce basit bir kaç numarayla marketten çocuk için bir şeyler aşırıyor.
Çocuğun karnını doyuruyor. Cebine de biraz para koyuyor.
O çok büyük ihtimalle, kendisine bile itiraf edemesede çocukta kendi çocukluğunu buluyor. Çocuk ise aynı şekilde bu usta hırsız da olmak istediği adamı görüyor. Çocuk işi çoktan çözmüş. Hayatta kalmak için yapması gerekenleri çoktan anlamış. Ancak bunu yapabilecek mi yapamayacak mı derken şansa bakın ki karşısına bizim hırsızımız çıkıyor. (Şimdi de karate kid oldu)
Çocuğun annesi bir hayat kadını, ve üstelik kadının sevgilisi olacak ayyaş herif çocuğu her gün dövüyor.
Çok uzattım.
Hırsızımız mafia tarafından keşfediliyor ve çocuğu öldürecekleri tehdidiyle adamı bir kaç projede kullanıp öldürüyorlar.
Bir hırsızla tanışıyoruz.
Kitapta yazarın bize yazarak değil ama satır aralarında anlattığına ya da en azından benim anladığıma gore, bu hırsız hayatta çok ezilmiş, üzülmüş, yalnız kalmış. Kimse değer vermemiş, hayata pek çok kişiden çok geride başlamış. Hayatta kalmak için sürekli mücadele etmek zorunda kalmış. Hiç ailesi olmuş mu bilmiyoruz. Hayatına hiç kimse girip çıkmış mı bilmiyoruz. Ona bu güne kadar kimsenin değer vermediğini, onu var saymadığını anlıyoruz ancak o şimdiye kadar o kimseye değer vermiş mi bunu da bilmiyoruz.
Aslında adi bir hırsız ve yetenekli bir yankesici olsa da, belli ki yazar bu adama acımamızı istiyor. Kendimizi okurken birden bire onun yerine oyarken buluyoruz. Yazık adama! Mecburen hırsız.
Ama artık yüreği taş kesilmiş bir adam bu. Üzülmüyor, ağlamıyor, korkmuyor, çekinmiyor. Pek çok duygu uğramaz olmuş. Bir yerlerde bir vicdanı olduğunu, hatta topluma karşı biraz öfkeli olduğunu seziyoruz ama bunu açıktan açığa yaşamıyor. Belli ki bu duyguların aynı zamanda birer zaaf olduğuna inanıyor, dolayısıyla hepsini bloke etmiş. Sadece hırsızlık yapıp yapayalnız hayatında, hayatta kalmaya çalışıyor. Bu kadar. Toplumdan çoktan dışlanmış ve tekrar topluma kabul edilmek gibi bir derdide yok. Yaşadığı müddetçe her şey yolunda onun için.
Bir gün bir markette acemice yiyecek birşeyler çalmaya çalışan 6 yaşında bir çocuk görüyor. (İyice yeşilçama bağladık işi)
Çocuğun yakalanması an meselesi. Kendisi usta bir hırsız olduğu için bütün detayları anında yakalıyor ve çocuk başkaları tarafından yakalanmadan once o gidip çocuğu yakalıyor.
Önce basit bir kaç numarayla marketten çocuk için bir şeyler aşırıyor.
Çocuğun karnını doyuruyor. Cebine de biraz para koyuyor.
O çok büyük ihtimalle, kendisine bile itiraf edemesede çocukta kendi çocukluğunu buluyor. Çocuk ise aynı şekilde bu usta hırsız da olmak istediği adamı görüyor. Çocuk işi çoktan çözmüş. Hayatta kalmak için yapması gerekenleri çoktan anlamış. Ancak bunu yapabilecek mi yapamayacak mı derken şansa bakın ki karşısına bizim hırsızımız çıkıyor. (Şimdi de karate kid oldu)
Çocuğun annesi bir hayat kadını, ve üstelik kadının sevgilisi olacak ayyaş herif çocuğu her gün dövüyor.
Çok uzattım.
Hırsızımız mafia tarafından keşfediliyor ve çocuğu öldürecekleri tehdidiyle adamı bir kaç projede kullanıp öldürüyorlar.
May 13, 2012
The title character, the thief, is a highly skilled pickpocket who is commissioned, against his will, to carry out three jobs--all of which involve some very delicate picking of pockets, much more complicated than merely lifting wallets--for a crime boss, Kizaki.
If the thief fails, Kizaki will kill him, and the thief has no doubt that Kizaki will follow through.
Kizaki likes to rhapsodize about fate. Is the thief's fate controlled by Kizaki, or is it that the thief is fated to be controlled by Kizaki?
This book is more than just a great crime thriller: it's an interesting meditation on fate and free will.
Was I fated to read this book when I saw it on the library shelves, or could I have seen it and somehow chosen not to check it out? Did my genes, my environment, and all the choices--or seeming choices--that I had made in my life up to the point that I saw this book on the shelf determine that I would check out this book? Did fate decree that I should read this book about fate? Or was it merely an unfated accident of spying this book at the right time without any other distractions which thus allowed me the opportunity to pick up this book and choose to check it out and read it or choose to ignore it? If the events immediately preceding my checking out this book could be replayed over and over up to the moment when I decided to check out this book, would I, each and every time, choose to check out this book, or would there be occasions when I would put it back on the shelf, and if I would sometimes choose differently, what would be the reasons that I chose differently?
Was I fated to type thee very words, or could I, after finishing this book, have chosen not to write this review at all? What is controlling these choices that I seem to make: is it the unseen, deterministic hand of fate, or am I somehow in control of my own choices? Or could it be both?
The Thief provides no answers to these questions; it simply raises the questions. I would like to think that I am in control of my choices, but how could I ever really know for sure? Perhaps we are all fated to think that we are free.
If the thief fails, Kizaki will kill him, and the thief has no doubt that Kizaki will follow through.
Kizaki likes to rhapsodize about fate. Is the thief's fate controlled by Kizaki, or is it that the thief is fated to be controlled by Kizaki?
This book is more than just a great crime thriller: it's an interesting meditation on fate and free will.
Was I fated to read this book when I saw it on the library shelves, or could I have seen it and somehow chosen not to check it out? Did my genes, my environment, and all the choices--or seeming choices--that I had made in my life up to the point that I saw this book on the shelf determine that I would check out this book? Did fate decree that I should read this book about fate? Or was it merely an unfated accident of spying this book at the right time without any other distractions which thus allowed me the opportunity to pick up this book and choose to check it out and read it or choose to ignore it? If the events immediately preceding my checking out this book could be replayed over and over up to the moment when I decided to check out this book, would I, each and every time, choose to check out this book, or would there be occasions when I would put it back on the shelf, and if I would sometimes choose differently, what would be the reasons that I chose differently?
Was I fated to type thee very words, or could I, after finishing this book, have chosen not to write this review at all? What is controlling these choices that I seem to make: is it the unseen, deterministic hand of fate, or am I somehow in control of my own choices? Or could it be both?
The Thief provides no answers to these questions; it simply raises the questions. I would like to think that I am in control of my choices, but how could I ever really know for sure? Perhaps we are all fated to think that we are free.
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