The Good Thief: A Novel

Named after the so-called Good Thief who is crucified beside and forgiven by Jesus Christ, Tinti's novel addresses not only crime but redemption. Many of the novel's characters, including Benjamin, Tom, Dolly, Dr. Milton, and even Ren, make their living by committing various crimes. Rather than offer a clear judgment on her characters' dubious actions, Tinti allows for some ambiguity. To excuse his many crimes, including "arson, train robbery, bank robbery, horse robbery, and general thieving" (236), Benjamin refers to theft as "borrowing, with good intent" (51). Ren, having been raised Catholic, believes theft to be a sin, punishable by God. However, Ren has his own transgressions, as "most of the lost things being prayed for at the statue of Saint Anthony" (15) have disappeared because of Ren's theft. When Ren comes to live with Benjamin and Tom, Benjamin tells Tom that Ren is "already one of us" (75), meaning the boy has experience with thieving. Later in the novel, Benjamin redeems himself in Ren's eyes by confessing to his paternity and helping him escape from his uncle, Silas McGinty. Ren also comes to believe, like Mrs. Sands, that God must be "too busy to go around punishing little boys" (123), or that some crimes can be forgiven.