Portrait of a Thief: A Novel
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
An Edgar Award Nominee for Best First Novel
Longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize
Named a New York Times Best Crime Novel of 2022
Named A Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by *Marie Claire* *Washington Post* *Vulture* *NBC News* *Buzzfeed* *Veranda* *PopSugar* *Paste* *The Millions* *Bustle* *Crimereads* Goodreads* *Bookbub* *Boston.com* and more!
"The thefts are engaging and surprising, and the narrative brims with international intrigue. Li, however, has delivered more than a straight thriller here, especially in the parts that depict the despair Will and his pals feel at being displaced, overlooked, underestimated, and discriminated against. This is as much a novel as a reckoning."
—New York Times Book Review
Ocean's Eleven meets The Farewell in Portrait of a Thief, a lush, lyrical heist novel inspired by the true story of Chinese art vanishing from Western museums; about diaspora, the colonization of art, and the complexity of the Chinese American identity
History is told by the conquerors. Across the Western world, museums display the spoils of war, of conquest, of colonialism: priceless pieces of art looted from other countries, kept even now.
Will Chen plans to steal them back.
A senior at Harvard, Will fits comfortably in his carefully curated roles: a perfect student, an art history major and sometimes artist, the eldest son who has always been his parents' American Dream. But when a mysterious Chinese benefactor reaches out with an impossible—and illegal—job offer, Will finds himself something else as well: the leader of a heist to steal back five priceless Chinese sculptures, looted from Beijing centuries ago.
His crew is every heist archetype one can imagine—or at least, the closest he can get. A con artist: Irene Chen, a public policy major at Duke who can talk her way out of anything. A thief: Daniel Liang, a premed student with steady hands just as capable of lockpicking as suturing. A getaway driver: Lily Wu, an engineering major who races cars in her free time. A hacker: Alex Huang, an MIT dropout turned Silicon Valley software engineer. Each member of his crew has their own complicated relationship with China and the identity they've cultivated as Chinese Americans, but when Will asks, none of them can turn him down.
Because if they succeed? They earn fifty million dollars—and a chance to make history. But if they fail, it will mean not just the loss of everything they've dreamed for themselves but yet another thwarted attempt to take back what colonialism has stolen.
Equal parts beautiful, thoughtful, and thrilling, Portrait of a Thief is a cultural heist and an examination of Chinese American identity, as well as a necessary critique of the lingering effects of colonialism.
An Edgar Award Nominee for Best First Novel
Longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize
Named a New York Times Best Crime Novel of 2022
Named A Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by *Marie Claire* *Washington Post* *Vulture* *NBC News* *Buzzfeed* *Veranda* *PopSugar* *Paste* *The Millions* *Bustle* *Crimereads* Goodreads* *Bookbub* *Boston.com* and more!
"The thefts are engaging and surprising, and the narrative brims with international intrigue. Li, however, has delivered more than a straight thriller here, especially in the parts that depict the despair Will and his pals feel at being displaced, overlooked, underestimated, and discriminated against. This is as much a novel as a reckoning."
—New York Times Book Review
Ocean's Eleven meets The Farewell in Portrait of a Thief, a lush, lyrical heist novel inspired by the true story of Chinese art vanishing from Western museums; about diaspora, the colonization of art, and the complexity of the Chinese American identity
History is told by the conquerors. Across the Western world, museums display the spoils of war, of conquest, of colonialism: priceless pieces of art looted from other countries, kept even now.
Will Chen plans to steal them back.
A senior at Harvard, Will fits comfortably in his carefully curated roles: a perfect student, an art history major and sometimes artist, the eldest son who has always been his parents' American Dream. But when a mysterious Chinese benefactor reaches out with an impossible—and illegal—job offer, Will finds himself something else as well: the leader of a heist to steal back five priceless Chinese sculptures, looted from Beijing centuries ago.
His crew is every heist archetype one can imagine—or at least, the closest he can get. A con artist: Irene Chen, a public policy major at Duke who can talk her way out of anything. A thief: Daniel Liang, a premed student with steady hands just as capable of lockpicking as suturing. A getaway driver: Lily Wu, an engineering major who races cars in her free time. A hacker: Alex Huang, an MIT dropout turned Silicon Valley software engineer. Each member of his crew has their own complicated relationship with China and the identity they've cultivated as Chinese Americans, but when Will asks, none of them can turn him down.
Because if they succeed? They earn fifty million dollars—and a chance to make history. But if they fail, it will mean not just the loss of everything they've dreamed for themselves but yet another thwarted attempt to take back what colonialism has stolen.
Equal parts beautiful, thoughtful, and thrilling, Portrait of a Thief is a cultural heist and an examination of Chinese American identity, as well as a necessary critique of the lingering effects of colonialism.
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Community Reviews
“Portrait of a Thief" by Grace D. Li is a debut novel that has themes of identity, heritage, and the need of cultural belonging. Following the lives of a group of Asian American college students, the author crafts a narrative that explores not only the thrill of the heist but also the deeper implications of reclaiming art that has been stolen from their ancestors.
The protagonist, Will Chen, finds himself caught in a risky scheme to steal back five priceless pieces of Chinese art from some of the world’s most prestigious museums. As he assembles his team, their roles reveal individual desires and the collective quest for identity in a world that often erases their stories.
The book depicts relationships, the pressures of academic life, and the legacy of colonialism, making it more than just a heist novel—to reclaim lost heritage.
It felt it was repetitive in parts, but I did enjoy it.
this read as too juvenile / young adult for my liking. very repetitive, felt lots of the characters thoughts and conversations were silly or lacked depth. i did speed through it so there was a page turning aspect too it, but felt too much of a cop out by the end and felt nothing about the characters themselves was earned.
"Everything lost, now found." Is it really a thief if the items were already stolen? Which crime is worse? The original or stealing it back and returning it to the rightful owners?
To say this book is Oceanâs Eleven meets Fast & Furious would be a great disservice. While Ocean's Eleven is referenced several times, it's more than that. It's about being a Chinese American who is still chief as only Chinese. It's about identity and belonging. In China, theyâre too American. In America, theyâre too Chinese. You don't belong anywhere and you feel you just can't win.
Will Chen, an art history major in his senior year at Harvard, gathers a team of students to pull off an impossible heist. The crew consists of Irene Chen, Willâs âI can do anything you can do betterâ sister, Daniel Liang, studying medicine, a Chinese immigrant whose father is an FBI agent and loyal friend from high school, Lily Wu whoâs an engineer into illegal street racing, and Alex Huang, who quit MIT to work at Google and is the hacker who insists that sheâs not a hacker. This completely inexperienced and unprofessional group of young adults is tasked to rob five museums across Europe and America to steal five sculptures taken from a colonial conquest of Beijingâs Summer Palace. Can they get away with it as they piecemeal their plans with no prior experience of this magnitude?
Thoroughly enjoyed this ebook. People always complain, that there was not enough character development. This book has one of the most developed character developments as I felt I truly understood who they were and in turn, understood myself and where I fit in. I too am a child of the diaspora. While some may complain there was not enough about the heist, the heist is the backdrop.
I received an e-arc in exchange for an honest review, so thank you to NetGalley, Grace D. Li, and Tiny Reparations Books for this great e-copy.
â ï¸Triggering topics: Racism, diaspora, and immigrant trauma.
To say this book is Oceanâs Eleven meets Fast & Furious would be a great disservice. While Ocean's Eleven is referenced several times, it's more than that. It's about being a Chinese American who is still chief as only Chinese. It's about identity and belonging. In China, theyâre too American. In America, theyâre too Chinese. You don't belong anywhere and you feel you just can't win.
Will Chen, an art history major in his senior year at Harvard, gathers a team of students to pull off an impossible heist. The crew consists of Irene Chen, Willâs âI can do anything you can do betterâ sister, Daniel Liang, studying medicine, a Chinese immigrant whose father is an FBI agent and loyal friend from high school, Lily Wu whoâs an engineer into illegal street racing, and Alex Huang, who quit MIT to work at Google and is the hacker who insists that sheâs not a hacker. This completely inexperienced and unprofessional group of young adults is tasked to rob five museums across Europe and America to steal five sculptures taken from a colonial conquest of Beijingâs Summer Palace. Can they get away with it as they piecemeal their plans with no prior experience of this magnitude?
Thoroughly enjoyed this ebook. People always complain, that there was not enough character development. This book has one of the most developed character developments as I felt I truly understood who they were and in turn, understood myself and where I fit in. I too am a child of the diaspora. While some may complain there was not enough about the heist, the heist is the backdrop.
I received an e-arc in exchange for an honest review, so thank you to NetGalley, Grace D. Li, and Tiny Reparations Books for this great e-copy.
â ï¸Triggering topics: Racism, diaspora, and immigrant trauma.
“And for the first time, it felt like enough.”
Finally finished reading Portrait of a Thief by Grace D Li and I’m glad I got around to it.
It’s not your typical heist story. The crew aren’t seasoned criminals. They all have different pasts and different reasons for going into the heist business, but they come together wonderfully.
This story was an interesting perspective, especially for me, a white American. More thought provoking than I expected, Li provided an excellent and still entertaining addition to the conversation on diaspora and imperialism.
While I didn’t feel able to relate and fully understand the character’s motivations when it came to their feelings about China and the art, I found myself resonating with the characters when it came to their personal issues with family, school, work, etc. That definitely helped bridge the gap.
And for the record the heist aspect was fantastic. Especially unique because it was a bunch of newbie criminals taking their IRL skills and turning them to the dark side.
This book has a heist story shell but there are a lot more layers inside. It’s definitely worth a read!
Finally finished reading Portrait of a Thief by Grace D Li and I’m glad I got around to it.
It’s not your typical heist story. The crew aren’t seasoned criminals. They all have different pasts and different reasons for going into the heist business, but they come together wonderfully.
This story was an interesting perspective, especially for me, a white American. More thought provoking than I expected, Li provided an excellent and still entertaining addition to the conversation on diaspora and imperialism.
While I didn’t feel able to relate and fully understand the character’s motivations when it came to their feelings about China and the art, I found myself resonating with the characters when it came to their personal issues with family, school, work, etc. That definitely helped bridge the gap.
And for the record the heist aspect was fantastic. Especially unique because it was a bunch of newbie criminals taking their IRL skills and turning them to the dark side.
This book has a heist story shell but there are a lot more layers inside. It’s definitely worth a read!
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