On the day you’re to be suspended from school, you don’t expect your mother to take you to the museum. In that museum, you don’t expect to fall in love with a redheaded girl who is wandering galleries with an old man. Nor do you expect a bomb to go off when you’re trying to leave.
But for Theo Decker, that’s exactly what happens. After his mother’s death, Theo spends the rest of his school year in a Park Avenue apartment before his estranged father comes looking for him.
Theo moves from New York to Las Vegas back to New York, carrying with him a secret more dangerous than the drugs he picks up or his lasting love for Pippa, the redheaded girl from the museum: wrapped in cardboard and newspaper is The Goldfinch, the only painting not destroyed or returned to the museum since the blast. The painting haunts Theo for most of his life, much like the death of his mother.
When I first started The Goldfinch, I wasn’t sure about it. I couldn’t tell what kind of book I was about to get myself into, but I kept going to see what would come of it. The Goldfinch is lengthy, but I found it to be a beautiful story. Tartt walks us through a tale of PTSD, drug addiction, love, art, and change that is difficult and incredible all at the same time. It was one of the most trying stories I’ve ever read.
The Goldfinch is what I would call an acquired taste. Some people don’t find a fit with the book, and others do. I found myself landing somewhere in the middle.
Here’s what I would say about The Goldfinch, booklovers: read it. Pick up a copy at the library or download the audio book. Start it. Theo’s a tough character to love, but he’s worth it if you get there.
Live, Love, Learn,
Melissa & The Write Teacher(s)