A Conversation with Hannah Tinti
Why did you decide to set your novel in New England?
I wanted The Good Thief to take place in America in the 1800s, and New England felt like the perfect place. I grew up in Salem, Massachusetts—famous for the witch trials and as the birthplace of Nathaniel Hawthorne—so stepping into the time period was actually quite natural for me. Most of the houses in my neighborhood were built in the 1700s and 1800s, and it was not unusual to have a back staircase, or fireplaces in nearly every room, low ceilings or small latched pantry doors. Whenever my family worked outside in our small garden, we were constantly digging up things from the past—fragments of blue and white china plates, broken clay pipes, or crushed shells that used to line the path to a neighboring carriage house. Once, my grandmother found a Spanish Reale from the 1700s. This unearthing of tangible history, and being conscious every day of the people who have lived in places before you is something common in Europe and other parts of the world, but in America it is more unusual. In any event, it made a lasting impression on me, and has certainly wound its way throughout The Good Thief.
How did you come up with the title The Good Thief?
Originally I had planned to call the book Resurrection Men. Then, for a number of reasons, I had to change it. I was at a loss for a long time, and nothing seemed appropriate. Finally, I gave an early draft of the novel to my mother, who worked for many years as a librarian and has read more books than anyone else I know. She came up with The Good Thief, and as soon as she said it I knew it was the right title. There is a lot of stealing going on throughout the book, with mixed intentions and results. I also liked the biblical reference of the Good Thief (also known as Saint Dismas), who was one of the men crucified with Jesus Christ on Golgotha. His story is one of redemption, at the very last minute, and that suits this novel perfectly.
The Good Thief has been compared to the work of Robert Louis Stevenson and Charles Dickens. Did you set out to write an adventure tale?
It’s humbling to be compared with these master storytellers. Stevenson and Dickens were my heroes growing up, along with James Fenimore Cooper. I’m not sure if I set out purposely to write an adventure story, but once I had the first scene, I knew that was where I was headed, and I was certainly influenced by these great writers along the way. Who could forget the scene in Kidnapped where David Balfour climbs the empty staircase and nearly falls? Or when Magwitch appears on the moor in Great Expectations? Whenever I felt daunted by the task before me, I went back to this important lesson—write something that you would like to read yourself—and tried to put it in motion on the page. Once I started it was hard to stop. I like to fall into books; to read about strange places and about characters who make me care deeply. I also like to be surprised at what’s going to happen next.
What is a wishing stone?
A wishing stone is a rock, usually found near water, with an unbroken white line circling it completely. It is good for making one wish come true. When I was a child I would collect them. Later, I was reintroduced to them at an important time in my life. At the beginning of The Good Thief, Ren comes into possession of one. It is his golden ticket, and this wish reverberates throughout the rest of the book, as do the stones themselves. Several people have asked me what a wishing stone looks like., Here are a few that I’ve held on to. Since The Good Thief was published, I’ve given one away at every reading, to pass on some of the good luck that has come my way.
How much did your religion influence The Good Thief?
I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school, so my religion was certainly helpful, especially when it came to describing Ren’s spirituality. My relationship with God was very close when I was young, and grew more complicated as I got older. Children think of right and wrong in very literal terms—and they also respond viscerally to parables and storytelling in religious texts. For me, tales of the martyrs and saints always held great weight, and I tried to draw on them as I wrote Ren’s character. Saint Anthony, in particular, caught my imagination. In 2000, I had visited his basilica in Padua and read a history of his life. Not only was he a famous storyteller, like Benjamin—he was the saint prayed to for lost things, which fit with Ren’s missing hand. He was also involved in resurrection: one of his miracles was raising a boy from the dead. In the last days of his life, Saint Anthony lived in a tree house, wanting to be closer to heaven. It’s a poignant image—this desire to be rid of earthly life. As I wrote The Good Thief, Saint Anthony became my touchstone, and I consider him the patron saint of this book.
What kind of research did you do for The Good Thief?
Because I grew up in Salem, Massachusetts I knew how everything should look and what the feel of North Umbrage should be. But I also read many books on resurrection men, grave-robbing, and the history of medical schools. Two that were particularly helpful were The Italian Boy by Sarah Wise, a non-fiction account of the trial of two resurrection men in London, and The Knife Man by Wendy Moore, a biography of John Hunter, who was a famous surgeon and resurrectionist. I also went to the New York Public Library and read old newspapers from the 1800s that gave me a real feel for the language and every day lives of people. Museums were a great resource, especially the Mütter Museum at The College of Physicians in Philadelphia and The Peabody/Essex Museum in Salem. On the bulletin board over my desk I kept sketches of graveyards, shots of buildings from the 1800s, prayer cards, photographs of Native Americans by Edward S. Curtis, artwork by Lee Bontecou and Edward Gorey, pictures of ancient dentures and designs of early mousetraps, so that every time I looked up, I would stay in the world I had created.
Why did you choose Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote to open The Good Thief?
I remembered Emerson’s words after writing about the mousetrap factory. I wanted to find the complete wording and add it to my folder of notes for the book, so I looked it up. When I re-read the entire quote I realized that it was more complex than I had thought: “If a man can write a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mousetrap than his neighbor, though he build his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door.” Emerson covered not only mousetraps, but religion as well as storytelling, the very thing I was struggling to accomplish. I put the quote on my wall, as a challenge to myself—to write a better book.
What is your writing process like?
I try to follow my intuition—sitting quietly and letting things come. It’s a bit like using a divining rod. Often I don’t realize what I’m doing until after the words are on the page. Later, I go back and try and make sense of it. The editing process is where most of the work is done, but I discovered long ago that I need to be open and trust my subconscious. When I was a little girl, I went net-casting on a fishing boat. The men threw a net overboard, then dragged it a hundred yards, then pulled up what they caught into a big tank onboard. Then they tossed things over that they don’t want, and kept the fish they did. I remember that the water seemed so clear and empty, but when the fishermen pulled the net on board, it was full of the weirdest things I’d ever seen. Bizarre creatures from the bottom of the sea. Novels seem to be like this—casting a net through a writers’ mind and pulling the unexpected into the light.
Do you have a question about The Good Thief that wasn’t answered here? Write it below–and Hannah will answer.
Dear Jenna,
There are two mentions of these letters. One is in chapter 2, on page 13, and the other is in chapter 9, on page 71. Hope that helps!
Best,
Hannah
Dear Allie,
I’d say nearly all the characters find some kind of redemption, except maybe McGinty. But the biggest folks to get redeemed are certainly Benjamin, Dolly & Tom.
Best,
Hannah
Dear Chelsea,
There are a lot of themes in this book, but if I had to choose one it would be resurrection, of the body and the spirit.
thanks,
Hannah
I read your book over the summer for a summer reading assignment for my school…
I’m trying to take notes on the book and I remember a quote that Ren says about the letters the boys write about how happy they are now that they are adopted, but Ren realizes they are lying. It says something about happiness in it I think.
Do you know where it is in the book?
Thanks!
Hannah, Which characters in the novel find redemption?
What, in your opinnion, is the theme(s) of your entirely engrossing book?
Dear John,
Glad you enjoyed The Good Thief! I was purposely vague about the exact time period and place in the novel, because I wanted the freedom to push the boundaries of the narrative. So while real places are referred to–like Boston and Salem and New York–North Umbrage and the other towns Ren visits are fictional. I also felt that if I gave it an exact year, say 1835, then everything that was happening in America at the time would start to affect the characters. So I kept that blurry as well. But I did do quite a bit of research, read old newspapers and histories.
The needy have always struggled in America, I think, but the sly–well, they usually do OK for themselves.
Thanks for sending in your questions!
cheers,
Hannah
Hannah, I just read your book and I thought it was marvelous! I have a couple questions about the book (if you don’t mind answering): how do the time period and the locale shape the novel? How did the needy and the sly fare in rural America before the 20th century? If you could answer these questions for me that’d be great!
Thanks, John
Hi K,
I will answer you offline, so as not to leave a spoiler here!
Best,
Hannah
Who shot Mcginty?
Hi Peggy,
The mousetrap factory came from a picture book I read as a child, called Pinchpenny mouse. You can find out more on this blog post I did: http://hannahtinti.com/2009/09/mousetraps/.
Later I discovered that the style of mousetrap we use today wasn’t invented until 1897–until that time people were always re-making it, trying to come new ways to kill those pesky mice. So I had a lot of fun looking up old mousetrap patents to use in the book.
Thanks for asking,
Hannah
Hi, Hannah. I read “The Good Thief” some time ago and will re-read it as I’ve recommended it to my book club. We will review it in September. Did you do any research on mousetrap factories in Colonial Days in New England? If so, can you tell me where to look for information? Thanks, Peggy
Dear Briar Woods High School,
Thanks for reading The Good Thief! To answer your questions:
1. The chimney dwarf, or Mrs. Sands’s brother, as I like to call him, appeared one day as I was sketching out a scene with Ren in the kitchen. When he first appeared I had no idea why he was there, or why he came down the chimney. But later I put it together that he was Mrs. Sands’s brother, and that he was another example to Ren of a way to live your life when you don’t fit in (cut yourself off from it). Each of the people Ren meets are examples of a way to go, and Ren then makes his own path, that combines bits and pieces of each of them.
2. Benjamin is a con man, and with any con man, it is hard to find out what the real truth is. He is almost always lying. It’s a way of re-inventing himself, and bending the world into what he would like it to be, instead of what it is.
3. I have written about 100 pages of a sequel, and I’m hoping to write more. But it will probably be a while before anyone gets the chance to read it. Thank you for asking, though! So glad you enjoyed the book.
best wishes,
Hannah
Dear Hannah,
We have a couple of questions for you and are looking forward to your response.
1. What’s up with the dwarf, and why does he live on the roof?
2. What was the purpose of Benjamin’s compulsive lying to Ren about his origins?
3. Is there going to be a sequel to “The Good Thief?”
Thank you for your time. We enjoyed reading and discussing your novel!
Dear Margaret,
What a lovely message! I’m so glad to have shared Ren’s journey with you.
Cheers,
Hannah
Dear Patti,
Earlier in the book, I used a river current to talk about God. For Ren, this is how he explains the pull of spirituality. I wanted to return to this theme in the final moments of the book. I believe that if you pay close attention to life, you will feel this same pull of God leading you in a certain direction, ultimately to deeper waters, where there is a greater life.
Thanks for asking. I hope that my answer makes sense–trying to write about those kind of deep spiritual feelings is always difficult to put into words.
cheers,
Hannah
Dear Ellen,
I decided to end the book with that line because I believe Ren will always be missing Benjamin, as well as a part of himself, even though he has now found a family to love him and even discovered his history. I hope that explains things!
best,
Hannah
Hannah,
I loved reading this book and have recommended it to my husband, a history professor with an emphasis on Colonial period history, as well as friends whom I believe would enjoy it as well. I cannot wait to begin discussing with my husband and am only sorry that I had not discovered your book sooner.
Margaret
What does the end of the second from the last paragraph mean or imply? “Even from this distance, he could fell the pull of the current. The promise of deep water.”
Dear Hannah,
I loved the book and I am leading a book discussion on it at my library tonight.
My biggest question is about the last line of the book, ” His fingers reaching out, closing in, then missing, missing, missing, missing.” Is there any significance to that line, and if so, could you explain?
Thanks!
Ellen Smith
Dear Lily,
I think Ren goes on a physical and a spiritual journey, so it sounds like you are on the right track. He learns a great deal and goes through many changes. Most important, he creates connections with other people. Another important thing he learns on the journey with Benjamin is how to tell a story–and this, I think, is a very powerful thing!
cheers,
Hannah
Dear Hannah,
I am studying ‘The Good Thief” for a University subject and I have an essay question:
‘journey’s are about learning’ discuss.
Would you agree that Ren is on a journey of discovery rather than a physical journey? For example, he learns the truth about his mother and finds his father. He also discovers that the real world is not as he had expected (which resulted in him on some occassions wanting to return to Saint Anthony’s Orphanage). Also he learns that not all families are the same (he was expecting to go home to a warm and loving mother and father as he thought the other children had done).
Would you think I am on the right track with answering this question? Would you think there is anything else ren learnt whilst on his journey with Benjamin?
Thanks heaps for your time.
Dear Fiona:
Thanks for your question. Someone I know said something similar to this (“open the door”), right before they died. I kept thinking about it, and kept thinking about it, and in the end I took the line and changed it a bit for McGinty to say. In this way I felt it could have two meanings–one would be McGinty trying to get into heaven, and asking his sister to open the door for him. The other meaning is that this could also be a memory from the past, with Margaret trying to shut him out. Either way there is a door between this brother and sister. Margaret was the most important person in his life, and it made sense to me that he would be trying to break through that barrier in the end.
I hope that answers your question!
best,
Hannah
In the second to last chapter of the novel, whilst Ren’s uncle is dying he demands Ren be bought close to him and then says (to Ren?) “Margaret, open tha door” what does Ren’s uncle mean by this?