The Goldfinch is a story told in retrospect of a young boy who, through a series of events, is orphaned and left to build his own life. The book tells the great personal burden the boy carries because of his theft of a priceless painting. He meets some kind and some not-so-kind people along the way and, unfortunately, is consumed in the world of drugs for most of his teen and young adult years. By the end of the book, the loyalty of his best friend and others helps bring him out of his dire straits.
This book got mixed reviews from the group. Some of us liked the writing style, and its characters development, and others thought there was too much rambling of personal thoughts. Two individuals rated it as one of their favorite books, and others really liked the first half of the book, but were left down by the second half. We appreciated that the book took us to worlds we knew nothing about. Some of us had great empathy for Theo and were certain that he had turned his life around, while others were less optimistic about his future. The fact that he lied even to those he cared for demonstrated that his addiction for drugs was overpowering.
Theo's friend, Boris, was a product of an abusive, neglectful upbringing, and, though he was always working on a new con, he was a devoted and loyal friend to Theo in the end. The fact that Boris had the painting all along came as a surprise to all of us. Hobie was certainly a favorite character, and we were saddened by the premature death of Theo's good friend, Andy.
This book led us to the observation that such a small twist of events can make a life-long impact. There were so many circumstances that, if varied ever so slightly, would have kept Theo and his mother out of the museum at the time of the explosion, and Theo's life would have been vastly different. We also talked a little bit about nature vs. nurture, as it appeared at times that Theo had similar tendencies as his father. Overall, most of us liked the book and, as always, we enjoyed great discussion.
Author's Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Donna-Tartt/e/B000APY632
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