The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

I have been interested in reading The Goldfinch since it won the Pulitzer back in 2014. There was just something about the plucky little bird peeking out on the cover that drew me in and made me curious to pick the book up each time I saw it in the bookstore. I've actually owned it for ages, but its length, plus my participation in other challenges, have prevented me from actually reading it. It's one of those ones that stuck out in my mind as a book I really wanted to get to one day, so I put it on my Finally in 2019 list. This month, I decided that it was time to give it a shot.

The story follows a boy named Theo, who is 13 at the start of the novel. His life takes a dramatic turn when his mother is killed during a terrorist attack at an art museum, an attack which he miraculously survives. In the chaos that unfolds immediately after the incident, Theo takes possession of a priceless painting that his mother admired, named "The Goldfinch." Once the dust settles and he comes back into his right mind, he hesitates to bring the painting back to the museum. It was something that his mother had loved, and its beauty captivates him. Before long, it's too late to return it without fear of legal consequences, so Theo carefully hides it among his other possessions and brings it with him through the string of homes he floats through in the wake of his mother's death.

Throughout the rest of his adolescent and teenage years, Theo floats from home to home. He spends time with the wealthy family of a friend in New York City, with his estranged father and his girlfriend in Las Vegas, and, strangest of all, with an antique shop owner he meets through a very unlikely chain of events. The grief he feels from losing his mother is intense, and most of the people he is forced to rely on in her absence do not provide a safe or loving space for him to heal in. Before long, he turns to alcohol and drugs to dull his pain and begins taking part in some shady dealings. "The Goldfinch" is with him throughout it all; it's his blessing and his curse. The stress of having it is leading him down a path of ruin, but he can't bring himself to let it go. It's an irreplaceable work of art, and he is its caretaker now.

Eventually, Theo's self-destructive habits begin to catch up with him and he is drawn into a dangerous scheme in which the safety of his precious painting hangs in the balance. The Goldfinch is the story of his journey, from grief-stricken kid to damaged adult, and how he tries to wade through his emotional pain to turn things back around.

This novel won the Pulitzer, so I knew it was going to be good, but I was absolutely blown away with this one. The Goldfinch is a masterpiece. Donna Tartt's skill is obvious from page one; she is certainly one of the best authors that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The book is nearly perfect; the writing is beautiful, the story is heart wrenching, and the characters are intensely real. Theo is a sympathetic and complex protagonist. His pain and grief over his mother's death are palpable and his fall is difficult to watch. As a reader, you root for him to finally be at peace, and you mourn the loss of the person he might have been if he hadn't been in the museum that day. The story is heavy and it makes you feel heavy right alongside the characters, but it is also full of enough hope and thoughtful observations that you learn something from the reading experience.

The novel deals with several themes including family relationships, grief, addiction, and friendship. Most interesting to me though, was the discussion of how people relate to art. I don't know much about art myself, and haven't really thought about the effect it has on anyone. In this novel, it functions as a kind of balm to the soul. It's a source of hope and inspiration that those who appreciate it can share. When Theo looks at "The Goldfinch," it connects him to his mother, its artist, and to all of the people who have admired it over the years. He feels less alone having it in his possession, even though it brings him a lot of pain. I enjoyed considering how art might influence and comfort someone. It was a new way to think about something I hadn't paid much attention to before, and it made me feel like I should learn more about paintings. 

The Goldfinch is Tartt's third novel, and I definitely plan on reading more of her work in the future. Her writing is a cut above most of what I read, and I'm excited to see if I end up loving the rest of her books. I do wish that I had gotten to this novel earlier; it's definitely a new favorite for me. While I've tried to detail here why I enjoyed it so much, I'm finding that it's difficult to put my feelings into words. This story is special. It has that indescribable magic that great literature has. This is most definitely a book worth reading, and I am very happy to have put it in my Finally in 2019 Challenge.


Challenge Tally
Finally in 2019: 4/6 Books Read

Total Books Read in 2019: 9