The Good Thief - Hannah Tinti

The story opens in 19th Century New England with the hero, a twelve-year-old orphaned boy called Ren living in a Catholic orphanage hoping and dreaming of one day being rescued and brought into the bosom of a loving family. Ren knows little about his heritage having been dropped at the door of the orphanage as a baby. His hopes of one day having a loving family are minimal as he is missing a left hand and is generally considered less desirable than the other able bodied children. That is until one day when a young man called Benjamin Nab visits the orphanage and picks Ren out of the group of boys claming he is Rens long lost brother. For once, Rens missing ...  Read the complete review

I was quite intrigued by the title of this book. Was it called 'The Good Thief' because it was about a thief who was very good at stealing or was it about someone who, even though he was a thief, was innately a good person. As I read this book, I felt it was probably a bit of both of these which had led to this very apt title. The thief in question is Ren, a small boy who, when we first meet him, is living in an orphanage in America in the 19th century. The future looks quite bleak because if no one chooses to adopt him he will be sold into the army and, as he only has one hand, this prospect looks quite likely. However, he is rescued by Benjamin Nab who ...  Read the complete review