Thinking of Art Heists? Try the Best-Selling Novel, Portrait of a Thief

by Grace D. Li

A thief dressed in black. Photo: Unsplash

You don't really want to be an art thief, do you?

I don't know about you, but for some reason, I am drawn to movies and shows that focus on art heists.

Strange, isn't it? Here I am a straight-arrow, good-girl from the Midwest who doesn't have any desire to be a thief, and yet I enjoy stories about people who spend all their time, energy, and intellect figuring out ways to rob banks, museums, and jewelry stores.

Of course, after the recent heist at Louvre, interest in heists has increased, and I'm not alone in my fascination of how and why these kind of thefts occur.

I haven't yet figured out why the "heist" genre is so appealing to me. After all, these people are committing CRIMES. They're not just out having a day of entertainment; they are taking what does not belong to them. But it's hard to see them as criminals when they are all either extremely good-looking, ultra-intelligent, extremely skilled, and/or planning the heist for a good cause. The strategy of the heist becomes important, and I start plotting alongside the criminals, figuring out what could go wrong and how to get around the potential problems.

So even though I don't want to rob anything, (do you?) I still gravitate toward these stories with a kind of warped curiosity and twisted enthusiasm. Duncan Campbell, a journalist who covers burglaries, suggests there are reasons we like heist stories:

“The heist films permit us to live vicariously as criminals: exciting risk-takers who break the law without hurting anyone.This victimlessness – or as close to it as possible – is crucial in the mythologizing of a heist. Deep within us, we want to be part of the heist ourselves."

Ouch. Lying within me is an art thief in hiding!

Portrait of a Thief

No surprise that I picked up a book called Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li. The book blurbs listed on the book cover touted the virtues of the novel:

"This is the heist novel we deserve. Brilliantly twisty and yet so contemplative, with characters whose complicated backgrounds color their every move, this book will continue to haunt you long after you've reached the end."

"A lyrical and action-packed tale of yearning, connection, self-discovery, and righting wrongs..."

and

"Portrait of a Thief is the most exciting debut I've read this year. A thrilling art heist that grapples with the complexities of cultural identity and repatriation. Li's novel is an intelligent page-turner that will keep you hooked until the very end."

Five Chinese-American students...

What happens when five smart, ambitious Chinese-American students get a chance to steal back great Chinese art that is now showcased in Western museums, bringing "home" the art that was stolen after the burning of the Summer Palace?

How much higher are the stakes when the reward for bringing home five pieces of Chinese currently housed in different museums around the world runs into the tens of millions of dollars?

Can five students accomplish complicated thefts from the greatest museums in the world - or is it just a pipe dream?

The group dynamics when interesting characters mingle...

Will Chen is a gorgeous guy getting ready to graduate from Harvard with a degree in art history, but he's also an artist. His sister, Irene, is absolutely beautiful, a year behind Will, and on a full-ride scholarship to Duke, studying foreign policy. Irene's roommate, Lily, is from Galveston, Texas. Lily is a street racer who always wanted to escape from her home and is now working on a mechanical engineering degree at Duke.

Daniel Liang is Will and Irene's best friend from childhood, but he always wanted to be more than a friend to Irene. To complicate matters, Daniel is a medical student who is very good with his hands and has had experience "lifting" items from heists, learning how to avoid notice by watching his dad who is an expert in Chinese art thefts for the FBI.

Throw into the group a young woman coder named Alex, who grew up in Chinatown, New York, and who left MIT when she was offered a a lucrative job at Microsoft before she graduated.

These characters are mixed and matched and paired in different situations, and the outcome is emotional dynamite as they work together to develop plans for heists and in doing so, discover truths about themselves.

Issues bigger than the payoff

At the heart of this novel is the big question of how museums should be held accountable for works they exhibit. Were those works rightfully purchased, or were they acquired under deception and then hidden under the guise of the ubiquitous label, "art from an anonymous collector"?

How much is cultural identity tied to the art of the country you consider home? Do you have an obligation to your ancestors to right past wrongs?

Most importantly, the characters in the novel grapple with the question of how to live life to its fullest. What must they do to satisfy the invisible obligation of duty and achievement that is, according to this novel, impressed indelibly on Chinese-American children and still achieve their own dreams?

Is any amount of art, love, money, acceptance, and achievement ever "enough"?

Entertaining and compelling

I read this book quickly, not wanting to stop. I had to find out if the five students achieved their goal.

Maybe that means that I want to be a thief, too, because I did enjoy the vicarious thrill of stealing art! Nothing like a literary heist to get my blood pumping!

---

If you buy a book or product in any format that you’ve discovered through Literature Lust,

 I earn a small commission on the sale. Thank you!   

 Buy Portrait of a Thief from Amazon (online retailer)   

Buy Portrait of a Thief from Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)  

---