Title: The Goldfinch
Author: Donna Tartt
Rating: 3.75/5 Stars
Synopsis: A young boy in New York City, Theo Decker, miraculously survives an accident that takes the life of his mother. Alone and abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by a friend’s family and struggles to make sense of his new life. In the years that follow, he becomes entranced by one of the few things that reminds him of his mother: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the art underworld.
Composed with the skills of a master, The Goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through present-day America, and a drama of almost unbearable acuity and power. It is a story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the enormous power of art.
This review contains spoilers.
Let’s just say that I was a little bit late to the party and I only managed to read this book last month, even though I bought it as soon as it came out in 2013. But anyway, better late than never, right? And it’s also perfect timing because the movie comes out this month!
This novel demands a lot from its readers, it’s not an easy read, that’s for sure. And I’m not only talking about the huge number of pages of this book baby, but also about the variety of themes and the devoted attention that is required by the story. Even though I was interested, I found myself struggling to follow the pages if I was tired, I needed to be in the right mindset to get to the end of the chapters and properly enjoy the story.
The premise of this book is pretty straightforward. After the terrible events, in which his mother tragically dies, Theo’s life literally gets turned upside-down. The story then takes off from there and follows Theo throughout some of his teenage years and also some of his adult life.
In my opinion, there are three main narratives that take form on the first day in which we meet Theo.
The first one is obviously the one regarding his mother, and then later in the story all that concerns his family and the people in his life. Theo’s mother is always present on the page, it’s always there in the back of his head, leading him to behave in a certain way and do certain things. Losing her is a very pivotal point in the story, even though it happens at the very beginning of the book. She was the only person Theo had in its life and without her he is undoubtedly lost.
“…still when I lost her, I lost sight of any landmark that might have led me someplace happier, to some more populated or congenial life…”
The portrayal of Theo’s feelings towards his mother just broke my heart, it was so real and raw. I could really empathize with Theo and given the fact that we knew his mother was the focal point of his life, it was so easy to believe and see how losing her truly destroyed him.
I would say the second narrative revolves around the ring Welty gives Theo. It’s a very important object that sends the main character on a kind of epic quest, in search of something he doesn’t even realize he needs: a real home. Thanks to the ring he gets the chance to meet Hobie, and the rest is history.
The third and final narrative is about the object to which Theo aspires to for the entirety of the novel: The Goldfinch. It’s the painting that puts a lot of the story into motion, the focal point of this entire book. It is also the source of eternal admiration and reverence on Theo’s part. I think the paragraphs detailing the way he thought about this object were some of the most beautifully written. The Goldfinch was basically a sort of character in the book and I think this quote, about the beloved painting, sums up this entity very nicely.
“Only-if you care for a thing enough, it takes on a life of its own, doesn’t it?”
I could talk to you about the themes or the characters of this book for hours on end, but unfortunately we don’t have all day. All the themes are interconnected with one another and there’s such a variety of them it’s impossible to keep up: from loss to art, from love to obsession, from drugs to mental health. It’s a lot to take in, but if you’re up for the challenge you won’t be disappointed by this book.
The characters are very well crafted and even the ones that at first glance might seem like portrayals of only one or a few qualities reveal themselves to be multilayered and full of endless possibilities.
I’m going to end this review by saying that this book is well deserving of its praise because it truly is a majestic novel. I’m really looking forward to the movie and I hope to like it as much as I adore the trailer, which definitely looks amazing. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to wait because here in Italy the movie won’t be out until October. Are you guys going to watch it?
Books Real When Shared 