Alone in his skyscraper office one night, Jaymi undergoes a transformation that will change his life: he acquires the power to see into others’ minds, and then to control and project their thoughts.



Realising the potential of this gift, he hypnotises a media mogul into agreeing to broadcast an electrifying extravaganza of sound and vision emanating from Jaymi, the like of which has never been witnessed before, that will captivate millions. However, one of the mogul’s underlings has more subversive plans for milking Jaymi’s talent, involving the theft of others’ imaginations and intimate memories for commercial gain.



The broadcasting of his visions plunges Jaymi and his best friend Alaia on a journey into the underbelly of Asbury Park -- a seaside town once full of life but now half-forgotten. The town’s entire oceanfront is now almost a ghost town: ruled by gangsters and drug dealers, headed by Lucan, it is populated by lost souls and the beautiful who have fallen on hard times. Blackmailed into thieving the most private and primal memories and experiences from these people’s imaginations, Jaymi discovers a web of secrets and provocations simmering beneath the surface of the town, about to explode.



When a waxwork of Lucan’s decapitated head is anonymously planted in his own bar, fear bubbles up, as everyone becomes a suspect in this unforgivable challenge to Lucan’s dominance. Then when another provocative waxwork appears -- a naked full-body modelling of Lucan’s beautiful but tortured lover, Angel -- Jaymi knows he must use his own gift to discover the perpetrator before Lucan does.



Delving into and celebrating the most beautiful and extreme possibilities of human imagination, personality and love, "The Imagination Thief" by Rohan Quine is literary fiction, with a touch of magical realism and a dusting of horror. It explores the universal human predicaments of power, beauty, happiness, hopelessness, good and evil.





“Rohan Quine is one of the most original voices in the literary world today -- and one of the most brilliant.” --"Guardian Books" blogger Dan Holloway



“The swooping eloquence of this book had me hypnotised. Quine leaps into pools of imagery, delighting in what words can do. The fact that the reader is lured into joining this kaleidoscopic, elemental ballet marks this out as something fresh and unusual. In addition to the language, two other elements make their mark. The seaside ghost town with echoes of the past and the absorbing, varied and rich cast of characters. It’s a story with a concept, place and people you’ll find hard to leave.” --JJ Marsh, "Bookmuse"



“Quine is renowned for his rich, inventive and original prose, and he is skilled at blending contemporary and ancient icons and themes.” --Debbie Young, "Vine Leaves Literary Journal"





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