Saturday, September 6, 2025

“Theft” by Katherine Anne Porter — Review

"Theft" by Katherine Anne Porter is a short story about a woman who realizes her purse is missing after a night out. The story follows her as she figures out who took it and confronts the cleaning woman in her building.

While this seems like a simple plot about a stolen object, the story is really about a much deeper kind of theft. The woman has a sudden, sad realization that she has carelessly allowed people in her life—mainly men who take her time, energy, and love—to steal pieces of her identity without giving anything real back.