Month of November 2022 - The Thief Books

The Soul Thief by Charles Baxter (2007; 2009 ed.) 210 pages.

Setting: 1970’s New York

I’m not too sure what I just read. The author writes in a way as if we should be reading between the lines and understand his meaning, but does not give us any real information to go on. I felt the story was all over the place about nothing, really. But, I kept reading, thinking the ending would help pull it all together. Notta! If I can’t figure out what you are writing about, you get a 1-star.

College students, Nathaniel Mason
and Jerome Coolberg, an odd genius who thinks he can acquire everyone’s soul (by driving them crazy??), have met at a geek’s party for artists. Jerome develops a weird obsession and life-long interest in Nathanial’s life.

He starts by stealing Nathanials clothes…and wearing them, then his furniture. Nathanial’s crush is found to be Jerome’s girlfriend. Then, when Nathanial falls in love with a lesbian he has been sleeping with, she is raped and beaten by, I think, Jerome’s orders, to a group of thugs. I still don’t see the relevance of this to the story at all.

But, Jerome twists all the stories around of what is going on with Nathanial until he has a mental breakdown and doesn’t know what’s real and what isn’t.

Nathanial moves on and gets married and has children. Jerome keeps track of Nathanials whereabouts, and every milestone of his life. Some years down the road, Jerome contacts Nathanial, and asks him to meet him in San Diego, where he will reveal the big secret to Nathanials past life.

Jerome hands Nathanial this book, “The Soul Thief”….Nathaniel’s life.

( )

I liked the innovative style and how it assisted in carrying along the story. The characters were believable and the plot revealed itself through their characterizations.
The author knows his craft and uses words skillfully. ( )

This book was a pretty quick read, although I didn't really understand it.

The description of the book on the flyleaf looked very interesting - a psychological horror story. Nathanial Mason is a grad student in Buffalo, New York around 1970. He meets up with an odd guy named Jerome Coolberg. It seems like Coolberg is trying to steal Mason's identity. Thirty years later, they meet again and it gets really WEIRD. Other stuff happens, too. Mason's house gets burglarized (or does it really?), he dates a woman who pretends to be intellectual, he dates a lesbian, he works in a soup kitchen, he has a breakdown.

Since I was puzzled by the ending, this review is very short. ( )

Got halfway through, wasn't enjoying it and didn't care about any of the characters, so I stopped reading it. ( )

I liked the innovative style and how it assisted in carrying along the story. The characters were believable and the plot revealed itself through their characterizations.
The author knows his craft and uses words skillfully. ( )