Joe Nolan is what the world calls a Thought Thief. Able to read the minds of others whenever they are physically close enough, he has lived his life with this ability, having both suffered and triumphed with its consequences.
Though it may seem like an incredible advantage to know exactly what others are thinking (and it certainly is for a luxury car salesmen like Joe) it comes with the downside of dealing with the truth all of the time. After all, the truth which comes directly from people’s thoughts does not come with an off switch. Thought Thieves like Joe have no easy relief from their strange gift and must learn to live with it or, as is often the case, cease to live.
With the government fearful about what Thought Thieves might be able to do (as Joe points out, politicians cannot lie to Thought Thieves) a program has been created to re-locate them to a camp of sorts called Bright Side. By no means a traditional prison, Bright Side is an attempt at cheerful incarceration. The Thought Thieves may not be allowed to leave but they hold jobs, relationships, and houses just like normal people. Naturally, in spite of its pleasant name, all is not well in Bright Side. With frequent suicides and harsh reprimands for rule breakers, many in the community can think only of escape, including Joe.
As Joe intersperses his narration with misgivings of his childhood (his mother a cruel, loose woman; his father a Thought Thief cuckold), a series of unfortunate and often violent events hurtles him towards an actual escape from Bright Side. The larger question is, of course, even if Joe escapes from Bright Side, will he ever be able to escape from himself?
Joe, though annoying at times with his drawn out contemplations, certainly makes the case for an average guy with a not so average ability. He has used his ability to satisfy selfish needs since his school days. Whether it is telling popular kids, women, or luxury car buyers exactly what they want to hear, Joe has prospered from his gift though he always feels pangs of guilt about it afterwards.
When his life is disrupted by his sentencing to Bright Side, he seems distraught but not terribly surprised. After a lifetime of hearing the horrible things inside of people’s heads (as shown with his flashbacks to childhood), he realizes that things could be much worse.
Joe’s flashbacks do occasionally suffer from a too-terrible-to-be-true feeling, however. His mother is not only a horrible mother, but she also happens to be sleeping with nearly everyone in town. His father, a stand-up gentleman in most other respects, knows all about this because, other than her poor attempts to hide the fact, he can read her thoughts. Would such a responsible parent not seek a better life at least for his son?
Likewise, Joe’s family is described as poor and his father is determined not to use his ability to cheat in any way but certainly his ability to read minds could be used for good. He could be a fantastic detective, journalist, public defendant, nurse, or a variety of other occupations that require getting to the truth as quickly and efficiently as possible. The suffering of the family seems needless, if not downright stupid.
The story of Joe and his fellow Thought Thieves (no matter how un-clever their name) nevertheless manages to be engaging. Though certain scenes tend to be drawn out more than is absolutely necessary (such as a climax involving the movement of various rocks), following Joe on the path of his charmed and cursed life proves to be a jostling adventure.
Reviewed by Collin Marchiando for IndieReader