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A Thief in the House of Memory
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Product Description
It's been six years since sixteen-year-old Dec's free-spirited mother, Lindy, disappeared. Dec feels so trapped in the present, he's avoided examining his past. But when an intruder dies in the museum-like family home, the man's death sends forth tremors that reawaken forgotten memories. Suddenly Dec is flooded with visions of his mother so tangible it's hard to believe they're not real. At least Dec has his best friend - gifted, funny Ezra - to help him sort out what's real and what isn't. But as Dec's dream visions of his mother turn into nightmares, Ezra announces he's going away, leaving Dec haunted by questions that must be answered. What did happen to his mother? And who really is the thief in the house of memory?
In this masterful new novel, Tim Wynne-Jones explores with wit, compassion, and humor the fictional territory he knows best - the prickly ties that bind families, the murky connections between imagination and real life.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #576105 in Books
- Published on: 2005-04-15
- Released on: 2005-03-24
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 224 pages
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 7-10–Six years ago, when Declan Steeple was 10 and his sister was just a baby, his mother, Lindy, disappeared, searching for something better than the dusty family estate with its generations of clutter and memory. Now the Steeples live in a modern split-level down the hill from the Big House, but the mansion is still there, filled with a past that hides secrets. When a local man is found dead in the house, memories of Lindy and her unhappiness living there suddenly become a pressing weight on Dec, compounded by the fact that he and his sister were the ones to discover the body. The teen feels lost and suspicious; his father seems to be hiding something and Dec realizes how much has never been discussed. This is a beautifully written novel, slim and surprising but ultimately satisfying. Declan's vivid memories and conversations with his father and his friend Ezra bring the pain of his abandonment, and the strength of his determination to move on, vividly to life. Declan's other friends, especially the creative and quirky Viv, appear only briefly but have enough character to bring them to life and to illuminate the protagonist. The dreams and memories that haunt Declan sometimes seem almost fantastic, but overall this is a realistic and moving story. Given that it focuses on an internal journey, this rich and rewarding novel will appeal most to thoughtful readers who appreciate a sad and bittersweet read.–Karyn N. Silverman, Elizabeth Irwin High School, New York City
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. Whenever 16-year-old Dec visits the house where his family lived before his mother's disappearance six years earlier, he slips into long-forgotten scenes that he had shared with her during his childhood. Drawn with a skilled hand, the protagonist is placed in a memorable eastern Ontario setting, where Dec's ancestral family home is preserved, museum-like, near his current house. The violent death of a man who breaks into the old house sets in motion a series of mysteries and revelations that drive Dec to remember things about his mother and try to learn the rest from her best friend and from his father, who guard their secrets well. Vividly written, the narrative conveys a strong sense of Dec's uneasiness, as past and present overlap in an unsettling way. The final revelations about his mother seem almost anticlimactic, as Dec has already developed a sure sense of who he is and where he is headed. An original coming-of-age story from the author of The Maestro (1996). Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Becoming absorbed in this book is like entering a dream. From first chapter to last, Wynne-Jones masterfully evokes the surreal quality of faded memories enhanced or distorted by the imagination. Alluring." -- Starred, Publishers Weekly
"This is a beautifully written novel...rich and rewarding."
-- Starred, School Library Journal
"Vividly written." -- Booklist
"Melancholy, uncanny, and emotionally powerful." -- Starred, Kirkus Reviews
"Wonderfully subtle...unambiguously memorable." -- The Horn Book
"The book carefully builds its mood, accruing layers of unease. Readers who have enjoyed the combination of edge and cool sophistication of Wynne-Jones' previous works will find this pleasingly unsettling." -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Wynne-Jones does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing without ever being dishonest. Every character is nicely rounded, and all grow as lines of communication open when memories are finally laid to rest." -- VOYA
"Young adolescent readers can relate to the author's superb writing style and characterizations." -- SIGNAL
"Kept me on my toes." -- A YALSA Teen YA Galley Reader
"A great mystery. . . . You can't put it down!" --A YALSA Teen YA Galley Reader
Customer Reviews
Mysterious Musings
Dec is a great narrator - totally reliable for a teen. The story is short and would probably qualify as "high interest" for lower level or on-level 9th graders. There was a twist or two that I did not see coming, which makes the book a good choice for serious readers as well. The best part about the book, however, is the conglomeration of friends Dec has at school. This is a group of high achievers who consider rationalizing a teacher out of existence, or spending a day without using any words with "O" in them is fun - where do they really come from? I would recommend this book for teachers and students.
A Journey Though a Teenager's Thoughts
A Thief in the House of Memory is a young adult book that is one of those books that would almost make a better movie. It's an incredibility well written story and follows a teenager who changes his mind about people that he interacts with all the time. Through the way the author wrote the book, my idea of the characters changed as well. Tim Wynne-Jones grabbed my emotions by changing my approach and assumptions of the other characters and himself. It jumps around from the present time to past memories which make the book contrasting but often confusing. It can get confusing at first for a reader so I advise you to read slowly and carefully to follow the book correctly. I did find it very interesting because it was from a teenager's prospective which made it out of the ordinary from books I have read before. I would suggest it to anyone who has time to sit down, have patience, and follow the book!
The book is about a young teenager named Dec who has a lot to live up to. He is a descendent from a long line of famous governors, but his father, Mr. Steeple broke that chain of politics after being abandoned by his wife. This hurt Mr. Steeple as much as it hurt his young son and infant daughter. They had had everything in their life, money, friends, and power, or so they thought. But as we learn though Dec's memories throughout the book, that isn't enough for a family to function. After years of fighting, Lindy, Dec's mother, had had it. She stole a car and ran from her flawless family; she just couldn't stand appearing to be perfect. Leaving a broken family that realized a family can't be bought, it has to be worked for and built on a foundation of trust and love.
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I have to say, it is a little weird, but I liked it. A story a little mystarious (as you can probably tell by the cover) and yet more. It is fairly short (210 pages, to be exact), but kept me interested 'till the end.
