Book Review - The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Goldfinch is a painting by Carel Fabritius painted in 1634. This small painting survived two different explosions. This story is about Theo Decker, who survived an explosion in a museum when he was thirteen. In that explosion, his mother was killed along with almost all others in the museum at the time. There was only one other survivor - Pippa, a girl the young Theo had been enamoured with in the museum when he was supposed to be interested in the painting. The painting was a favourite of Theo's mother. Pippa’s uncle Welty, who did not die immediately, lay fatally injured beside Theo in the fall out of the explosion. He gave him two things - a ring and an address. He also pointed to the small painting but was unable to say why it was important to him. In Theo’s pain and confusion, he took both the painting and the ring. The ring he finally returned to Hobie, who became a central figure in Theo’s story. The priceless painting, and his teenage love for Pippa, he clung to throughout his evolving growing up years.

This coming of age story of a boy physically and emotionally injured, storied the results of such severe trauma, as well as the results of scattered and often unreliable parental guidance and love. Theo's expectations of life, with adults and with himself were dramatically altered with the death of his mother. Theo Decker, was a young boy left to his own devices to grow up, wade through and survive an apparently hostile world.

This book and all of the characters were very real to me. The situations were often disturbing because of their reality. Discussion today at the book group I belong to was exciting and rich with many differing opinions of the story, the author and the seemingly limited editing. (The length of the book was called into question, however I read it in three weeks instead of my planned four weeks.)

“Stay away from the ones you love too much. 

Those are the ones who will kill you.”

~ Donna Tartt, The Goldfinch

Title: The Goldfinch

Author: Donna Tartt

Publisher: Little Brown and Company

    Hatchett Book Group

    littlebrown.com

First Edition: October, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-316-05543-7 (hard back)

ISBN: 978-0-316-23987-5 (large print)

ISBN: 978-0-316-23247-0 (international)

Type:  Fiction