ARC gifted by the publisher

What I liked

- Gurnah writes imperfect characters with such compassion that even when they make stupid decisions I feel deeply for them

- themes of belonging and identity are weaved seamlessly into the storyline as the readers follow characters of different socioeconomic backgrounds. While this isn’t a new concept, Gurnah’s unique writing style vividly shows us the everyday struggles of the haves vs have nots, and how that affects one’s ability to take control of their destiny

- the novel follows three main characters thorough the years with alternating narratives. It doesn’t provide specific timeframes or character names in the beginning of each chapter, yet the author’s writing is clear enough that I never got confused. For a relatively short novel to achieve this kind of clarity with few words, it really showcases Gurnah’s craft

- for lovers of character-focused books who are turned off by purple prose, THEFT is a great option! I was expecting a novel filled with SAT words and melodramatic lit fic writing, but I was so pleasantly surprised!

What didn’t quite work for me

- the first half of the book moves rather slowly and I can see readers who dnf quickly might not make it to the interesting parts in time