I read an article last October/November in the Richmond-Times Dispatch that listed all (well...10) of the must-reads of 2014. The Goldfinch was on the list. After reading the quick and dirty summary of the book, and being intrigued but it's subject matter (a famous painting), I added it to my reading list. To be honest, I bought it in 2014, but after receiving the book and noting that it is 771 pages long, I pushed it to 2015, knowing that I'd have a hard time reading a Pulitzer Prize winning novel that's almost 800 pages long right before Christmas. It was a good call on my part. This is no easy read.
The Goldfinch is the story of Theo Decker and spans a good portion of his life, from age 13 to his mid-20's or so. What we don't find out until the very last section of the book is that the story, the entire story, he has written in journal form with no intention of anyone ever reading. The Goldfinch is his story of self-discovery, wiring becomes his way of coping with the death of his mother--an event that spurred the entire story into existence in the first place.
The book is dense, every word filled with meaning and emotion. This is no beach bag book, folks. This is a book you want to read in a literature class, or in a book club, so you can discuss each section with someone. There were times when I wished I was Theo, warm and safe in a Park Avenue apartment surrounded by people who want nothing more than to take care of you. Then, there were times when I wanted to take Theo by the shoulders and shake him for taking a life with amazing potential and drinking and smoking it all away. There were friends of his that I loved: Pippa and Hobie, Andy, and Kitsey. And friends that I disliked all the way to the end: Boris.
Without question, losing your mother at age 13 is hard and recovering from that loss, when you really have no one else, is doubly hard. Unfortunately, Theo really never recovers and becomes, in my mind, quite jaded and cynical about life. I have page after dog-eared page of quotes of Theo going on and on about how life sucks (my words, his are way more eloquent and long-winded) and how life is just one disappointment after another. It isn't until the very end, when his life takes some what of a positive turn (finally) that he admits that life is hard (Agreed.) and that perhaps the real beauty of life is in finding little joys to make all of the hard stuff seem bearable (Agreed.) Finally, an idea his mother would be proud of.
As I was finishing the novel this morning, I realized that The Goldfinch, the real Goldfinch, in many ways was not just a beautiful painting, but was Theo himself. Theo, like the beautiful golden bird, spent much of his life chained to a place where he didn't want to be (in a Park Avenue apartment without his mother, in Vegas with no place to go, engaged, working for Hobie) staring back at life that other people were living. Not knowing too much about his mother, I have to wonder if she wasn't a bit of a Goldfinch herself, feeling chained to a bad marriage and a life she didn't quite ask for. I wonder of we all feel a bit like The Goldfinch at some point or another in our lives. Something to think about, I guess.
I am glad that I read this one. It wasn't easy, but it was good. Some sections were fast reads; some required a lot more patience. But, it was never the writing that was treacherous. No...just the subject matter. Reading about Theo takes patience and dedication. But it's all worthwhile in the end. I have a feeling that I will still be thinking of Theo in 10 years. His story is one that will stick with you.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
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