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Title: Dear Thief

Author: Samantha Harvey

Narrator: Anna Bentinck

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-01-15

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In the middle of the night, a woman wraps herself in a blanket and starts writing. In answer to a question you asked a long time ago, she writes, and so begins a letter that both women have preferred to forget. She writes night after night - a letter of friendship, by turns a belated outlet of rage and forgiveness, the letter dissects what is left of a friendship caught between the forces of hatred and love.

Critic Reviews:

"A glorious, sensuous, grown-up novel, intelligent and passionate" (Tessa Hadley)

Members Reviews:

A captivating tale beautifully read.

By the end I felt like the characters were old friends I could no longer reach. Loved the way both the characters and the story emerged as the tale was told.

a meaningless monologue that led nowhere

i hated this, wish i hadnt bothered but kept hoping it would get better. it WAS nicely and descriptively written and beautifully read but the lack of story and jumping back and forth timeline drove me mad

Interesting, but also easy to lose interest

Dear Thief is an odd book, one that I have had extreme difficulty in making up my mind as to whether I like it or not. Another question I had was if this book was more enjoyable in audiobook format than print form. Even though Ive been deliberating over this for nearly a week, Im still wavering. There are definitely parts of the story that I found interesting and enjoyable, but then the narrator (of the story, not of the audio) would change tack and Id be left wondering if she would ever get back to that plot point. I think the audiobook is more natural as a format in the way the story unfolds it really is like someone is pouring out their heart to you, but lacks the ability to go over certain sections again. (I listen to my audiobooks mainly while driving, so rewind is not really an option if I still want to be alive at the end of my journey).

The thief referred to in the title is Nina, or Butterfly as she is later known. Our unnamed narrator starts writing to her one winters night just to simply answer a question. She doesnt know where Butterfly is, nor does she think she cares. But the writing process is cathartic and the author of the letter digs into her memories of Nina/Butterfly, revealing pain and hurt as a long lasting friendship dissolves into bitterness. In between this, theres reflections on the authors other relationships with her husband and son. Theres the interactions with the owner of the corner shop and wisdom on the loss that occurs with ageing as she works in a nursing home. Its all bundled in together, jumping from the mundane to Butterflys drug use and betrayal. Its like a bag of mixed nuts youre never quite sure whats going to come out of the bag next. Its this that makes the story interesting, just waiting for the next revelation about Butterfly but it was also the storys downfall for me the waiting for the next string of plot thread that might not ever come.

I think one of the strengths of Dear Thief is that the story doesnt meet the traditional definition of narrative beginning, middle and end. However, the lack of resolution may be annoying for some. I thought that would be what annoyed me (as a scientist, I like Results!), but surprisingly, it didnt. I felt that the way the narrative unfolded prepared me for the realisation that things wouldnt be tied up neatly or come to any definite conclusions.