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The Thief of Always

by Clive Barker

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The Thief of Always

Mrs. Griffin wanted to have a new home, cats, and a new father because she ran away from home at age nine after her kitten died and her father refused to get her another.

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The Thief of Always

The key characters in The Thief of Always include Harvey Swick, a bored ten-year-old boy, and Rictus, who lures him to Mr. Hood's Holiday House. The main antagonist is Mr. Hood, the mysterious and...

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The Thief of Always

While readers do not learn the name of Lulu's husband, this kind man believes his wife's story about Holiday House and helps convince Harvey's parents that their son is telling the truth.

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The Thief of Always

In The Thief of Always, from chapters 9 and 10 we learn that Harvey is a compassionate boy. This is because, although Wendell gives him a reason to turn his back on their friendship, he empathizes...

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The Thief of Always

Barker uses many techniques of fantasy in The Thief of Always, like dramatic visualization. He uses lots of descriptive details so readers can imagine the magical setting, like in the scene in which...

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The Thief of Always

What's ironic about the décor of the Holiday House in The Thief of Always is that it's really grotesque and unpleasant to look at, despite the fact that this is supposed to be a really happy place.

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The Thief of Always

Harvey sees Lulu at the lake. She's perching on the slimy stones at the edge of the water, gazing into its depths. When Harvey approaches her, Lulu takes fright and runs off.

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The Thief of Always

Rictus steals some of Mr. Hood's magic. He does it in case Mr. Hood ever gets tired of him and decides to put him out of his misery. By stealing some of Hood's magic, Rictus has enough power to keep...

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The Thief of Always

Harvey turns Marr's magic against her by grabbing hold of her outstretched fingers. Marr attempts to turn Harvey into another creature, but as Harvey's fine with being himself, her magic doesn't...

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The Thief of Always

In The Thief of Always, Jive and Rictus hid Mrs. Griffin away in a coffin below Holiday House. In chapter 17, Stew-Cat leads Harvey to the coffin and Harvey breaks it open with two rocks.

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