No sé qué me pasa con John Boyne. Es un escritor competente, un buen narrador, un buen cuentacuentos, sus premisas no están mal, pero a mí siempre me deja un poco indiferente. Creo que es porque pese a que escribe libros entretenidos, se nota que aspira a hacer algo más que entretener, a desarrollar una idea, pero nunca lo consigue. Lo intenta, sin llegar a conseguirlo. Al menos a mí me da esa sensación.En esta historia, por ejemplo, Boyne nos narra la historia de Matthieu Zéla, un hombre que nació a principios del siglo XVIII y que ha llegado al año 1999 sin envejecer. Sin envejecer, pero más viejo. Todos los acontecimientos que le ocurrieron en dos siglos de vida lo han ido marcando. Y Boyne lo cuenta bien, de manera entretenida, haciendo flashbacks adelante y atrás, mezclando historias de diferentes épocas para hacerlo más dinámico, incluso teniendo una trama con el tataratataranieto de su hermano Thomas para que exista una fuerza motora que te haga interesarte por el Matthieu del presente, que sabes que sobrevivió a todas sus andanzas pasadas. Incluso notas que el autor es hábil, en cuanto a que la estructura tiene cierta complejidad, por los contínuos saltos en el tiempo, que en ningún momento te o se confunden. John Boyne no se pierde nunca y no permite que el lector se pierda. Y sin embargo... al final el tema sobre la inmortalidad y que la historia se repite constantemente y que las personas se caen contínuamente y se levantan de nuevo, suena un poco trillado. Un poco cliché. Boyne no consigue ir más allá en ello, nada más que dejarte algunas pinceladas. El libro es muy entretenido y fácil de leer, pero nada más.Ahora bien, tengo que agradecer al autor que el protagonista inmortal no es un emo depresivo, sino un hombre vital que entiende que su "rareza" es un don que le ha permitido asistir a momentos e innovaciones que jamás hubiera soñado siquiera. Normalmente a mí los personajes con inmortalidad no me gustan precisamente porque son unos amargados de la vida, pero Matthieu es diferente y eso me gustó.En definitiva, un libro entretenido de John Boyne, bien escrito, bien narrado y que tiene algunos momentos inspirados, pero que no creo que aproveche todo el potencial del tema que trata.
"And I am not one of these long-living fictional characters who prays for death as a release from the captivity of eternal life; not for me the endless whining and wailing of the undead."With these words, written on the first few pages of his novel "The Thief of Time," John Boyne pretty much sold me on the central idea of the book: a man who is over 250 years old but looks like a man in his late 40's or early 50's, and who has looked essentially the same for about 200 years.Matthieu Zela, the long-lived main character, has lived a long time and seen much change in his life. In his time he experiences the French Revolution, the Great Exhibition, the Great Depression, the rise of Hollywood, war, marriage, love, and death. So much death, all around him...but not for him.The strength of the book comes from its ability to capture uniquely all the different time periods experienced and convince us that they are all seen through the eyes of this one singular character. Bouncing back and forth to different places in the past to modern day and back to the past again, Boyne tells several stories in parallel, and we slowly come to learn about the central events in Matthieu's life that changed him most dramatically, including the loss of the first true love he would ever know. If there is a lesson to be learned from this book, it is that not everything has to be fully understood to be appreciated. Some experiences are enough in themselves. This book is one of them.
What do You think about The Thief Of Time (2007)?
READ IN DUTCHThis was my first John Boyne book after The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which is really well-known. His other books are far less popular, but I can't see why, as John Boyne turned out to be one of my favourite authors. One of the things I like best, besides the style and pacing of his stories, is the fact that he does something different every time.This is a adult novel, although he also writes books for (arguably) children like The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas or Noah Barleywater runs away. The main character ceases to age, and is therefore able to tell about a lot of important chapters in Western history (since 1750 or so), besides the stories of his very unfortunate kin (who are not blessed/cursed with not dying).I really liked the story and the ideas, and what I think to be even better: He's putting references to this man in his other books. I've spotted him once in the beginning of Mutiny on the Bounty. But I believe I would find more of these subtle references if I would reread the books.
—Marjolein
This aptly-named book was a huge disappointment, mainly because I was expecting a fantasy novel. Although the main character is supposed to have lived 256 years, without appearing older than his late 40s, there is no explanation for this, magical or otherwise. Instead, the reader gets an uncurious, incomplete and disjointed romp through history told by a man who seems to have no control over his life or anyone else's. The fact that he spends much of his time trying to persuade people to address him by the correct (or preferred) form of his name only seems to emphasize his lack of connection to others. The Thief of Time reminded me of The 100 Year Old Man (without the humor) or Forrest Gump (without the goofiness) or The Picture of Dorian Gray (without the style). Mercifully, it's not too long.
—Anna
The problem with going back and reading a favorite author's earlier works is that it's inevitably disappointing. You can see the promise, just not the fulfillment of it. This is a nicely written book about a 250 year old man who was born in 18th century france. It has a very Forrest Gump-ian dynamic where he's involved in many of history's biggest events, and interacts with everyone from Robespierre to Charlie Chaplin. A stronger editor could have shaped the narrative better--instead it's a series of stories traipsing across time.
—Richbern
