![]() They breathed their own identities into the histories of the countries they call home. Each character's exploration of their identity and acceptance of their futures felt like powerful declarations against Western colonization and conquest. There's an understanding that feels so comforting about the struggle to identify with one's ethnicity and the feeling of not quite belonging to either place. "After all these years, his parents still called it going back, as if anywhere else could not be home. While the characters are quite standard perfect-on-paper Asian Americans, their stories still echoed the same pressures and insecurities that I was surrounded with despite our paths being radically different. With that said, I went into this debut curious but not entirely sold on the heist plotline and that mindset allowed the story to still be enjoyable despite the main plot point being somewhat underdeveloped. Where the first heist was thrilling to read, the consecutives ones felt more like luck than skill. ![]() As the reader, you might have to suspend your disbelief when reading about the group's approach towards their heists - if thieves could learn everything from spy movies and Fast & Furious, the world would possibly descend into chaos already. While the synopsis places a lot of weight on the thrill of the art heists, the story shone through its introspective commentary on what it means to be Asian American. "Who could determine what counted as theft when museums and countries and civilizations saw the spoils of conquest as rightfully earned?" "I want you to take back what the West stole." ![]() As someone who grew up watching all the heist and spy movies with her parents, I went into this with a lot excitement and questions. ![]() ![]() This is a story told through the eyes of children of immigrants and their quest to reclaim their identity through a series of art heists. The Portrait of a Thief was everywhere on my Twitter feed when it first dropped on Netgalley and the mysterious cover alongside its fascinating premise bumped this onto my anticipated releases for the year. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |