The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
At 771 pages, The Goldfinch is definitely in the chunky category. I'm sure many of the Chunky participants have already discussed this book, since it was a choice for a read-a-long. I couldn't get in on that but I did manage to get a copy from the library, so I lucked out. I've read both of Donna Tartt's previous books and found them interesting, imaginative, and lengthy. The Goldfinch is every bit in that same vein. Briefly, the story concerns Theo Decker, a mildly troubled youth who has been abandoned along with his mother by his alcoholic father. Theo and his mother are visiting an unspecified museum one morning, basically killing time until their appointment with Theo's elite school to find out if he's going to be expelled, when a bomb is exploded. Theo's mother is killed and Theo is wounded but not as badly as many others. He and his mother are separated at the time of the blast but Theo is mesmerized by a dying elderly man who directs Theo to take the painting The Goldfinch out of the museum. This act sets the whole novel into motion. Theo becomes almost possessed by the painting and it gives meaning to his life during a deeply troubled period. His father's whereabouts are unknown and Theo informally goes to live with the affluent family of a school friend. At the same time he establishes a connection with the elderly man's family which includes a half-sister and business partnerr in the antiques trade. Theo's father subsequently returns and whisks him off to Las Vegas where he lives a depraved life, neglected by his father, and drawn into drug abuse along with another troubled youth, Boris, who becomes an important character.
There's a lot more to the story but the main part revolves around the twists and turns of Theo's life and the fate of the painting. Some people I've talked to said the book should have been 100 pages shorter and I agree there are descriptive passages that probably should have been deleted. The writing is good but so much description and reflection detract from the plot, and the plot is intriguing and the characters are unusual. I also like the change in locales, Las Vegas versus New York, gives the author a chance to dig into regional contemporary America.. I enjoyed her musings on art and its importance in people's lives. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and read it in just a few days.
