“The thefts are engaging and surprising, and the narrative brims with international intrigue. Li, however, has delivered more than a straight thriller here…This is as much a novel as a reckoning.”

“Turns on breakneck action, fast cars and a thoughtful exploration of Western colonialism and the complexities of Chinese diaspora identities…The story of why Li turned to fiction in a crisis — and pursued two seemingly opposing career paths — has as many twists and turns as Li’s novel.”

“Beneath its glitzy European museum settings, late-night street races, sexual tensions and a plot involving an enigmatic Chinese billionaire, Grace D. Li’s debut art-heist novel…wrestles with some weighty questions about cultural repatriation and the legacy of colonial crimes. Do museums primarily preserve history, or all too often rewrite it? Who does art ultimately belong to?”

“At its core, Portrait of a Thief is a fun, frenetic heist novel…Amid the heists, though, we watch these characters grapple with the weight of expectation specific to being part of immigrant families, and the unmoored loneliness of not feeling Chinese enough or American enough.”

“Portrait of a Thief is a confident debut for Li, whose writing shows great control at the line level and of the overall narrative. Descriptions are both economic and poetic; the novel keeps a swift pace as the characters crisscross the world, from the American South to the San Francisco Bay Area, to Beijing and Europe…”

“The novel is seductive, drawing readers in with stories of beautiful people, expensive art and first-class flights. But beneath the glitz, this is a story of desire and youth…”

“Through the five central characters Li explores the ideas of Asian American ambition and the expectations placed on young people who may have different ideas about what success means to them. Take central character Will Chen, who ‘represents a lot of the ideas of what the perfect Asian American child is,’ says Li…”