Thick as Thieves: A Brother, a Sister--A True Story of Two Turbulent Lives

by Steve Geng

Book Overview

Geng's memoir . . . does much to restore integrity to the genre of the addict memoir as presented in classics by William S. Burroughs, Hunter S. Thompson, and Jerry Stahl.--The New York Times Book... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805080562
• ISBN13: 9780805080568
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A favorable review of "Thick as Thieves"

I found it a moving story and an easy read. It was interesting but sad at times. Well written.

sad but riveting memoir

I am floored by Geng's ability to admit his faults and shortcomings. He is able to embrace his flawed family and tried to learn from the pain he caused others. A powerful read. You can almost feel his pain when he suffers loss and knows he has harmed loved ones. I hope I can read more of his work.

What a Rollercoaster Ride!

I couldn't put this book down. And that is saying a lot because I have the attention span of a gnat. I own so many books that I started and couldn't get into. This one grabbed me in the first line. What a story. It is amazing that Steve Geng is alive to tell this tale. Boy, talk about a cautionary tale!

Wow!

Wonderful writing by an apparently reformed drug/booze addict who survived on shoplifting for many years while idolizing his sister, a well known New Yorker humorist who died at 56 while the author was unaware of her condition. This is a brother-sister tale with superbly drawn portraits of childhood, dysfunctional parents and young adulthood struggles. The author managed to land some acting roles in the Miami Vice TV series in the 80s, then very late in life, after an AIDS diagnosis, turned to this memoir, which is an amazing display of literary talent. In between, the reader relives Geng's various misadventures, jail sentences, near fatal beatings, failed love affairs and relationships with a colorful cast of New York and Florida losers. It's beautiful writing, a work which the sister would envy and be completely proud of, all at once. Do yourself a favor and check this one out.

clear-eyed, honest, and rare

I read a few pages of "Thieves" in the bookstore and was gripped, which hasn't happened to me in years. The story isn't "about" a drug-addicted alcoholic bum and his jail & travails; it's about turns not taken, words left unsaid, connections lost out of ignorance ... and the redemption, at least partial, that's available as long as there's life. Geng tells his tale with a near-total lack of sentimentality, the kind that can crack the heart. The book is also a sweet, achingly distanced portrait of his gifted sister, Veronica. I just finished reading it last night. I think I'll start again.