Boy projects love for mom onto stolen painting

Have you ever been extremely attached to a particular object, placing a great deal of sentimental value on something you consider irreplaceable? For one person the object might be a watch and for someone else, a dried up rose.

In Donna Tartt’s latest work The Goldfinch, she portrays this adoration for an object at an extreme level. In this book, the object of sentimental value is a historical painting, which travels from country to country, bringing enjoyment to thousands of viewers. When the painting goes missing, however, a chain of events occurs, affecting a boy, his family, friends and even acquaintances. Readers will get a glimpse of the art underworld through this fascinating story of a boy and his attachment to a painting.

It’s no wonder this book made nearly every best-books-of-2013 list with its action, suspense and even romance, capturing the attention of a diverse set of readers. For these reasons and more, The Goldfinch is the perfect book to start off the New Year.

Donna Tartt’s novel centers around a 9- by 13-inch painting by Carel Fabritius called The Goldfinch. As a young boy, Theo Decker narrowly escapes a bombing that unfortunately kills his mother. In the pandemonium of people and rubble, Theo accidentally runs out of the museum with the small painting. Because of the loss of his mother and trauma from the bombing, Theo does not even realize he has the painting until days later. News channels begin to report about the missing work of art, but Theo is too nervous to come clean, knowing well that stealing such a historical piece even by accident can be considered a criminal offense.

Years after the bombing, Theo continues to hold the painting. Wherever his nomadic life directs him, the painting follows. His secret, however, haunts him, increasing his anxiety day after day. While The Goldfinch helps him to remember his mother and her love for art, he knows he must eventually return it. He recognizes he has gone too long without saying anything, his childhood version of the story no longer seeming valid. He begins to form a plan. How can he return the painting without getting caught? How, several years later, can he make such a return look like an accident?

Tartt’s unforgettable characters and their unique personalities are what kept me reading. Yes, the plot was well executed and its twists exciting, but it’s her well-developed characters that carry the story all the way to the end. She has a way of making her characters feel like actual people, describing them right down to their mannerisms.

I enjoyed Tartt’s contemporary writing style. She mentions events and objects relevant in today’s worlds. One of her characters nicknames Theo “Potter,” referencing, of course, J.K. Rowling’s infamous character Harry Potter. Some readers may not care for her references of “today,” thinking that this book may quickly become outdated; but that’s what I love most about it. This title, in 10 years, will have the power to bring readers back to 2013. I like to think of books like The Goldfinch as time machines for our minds.

Theo’s attachment to the painting is interesting to ponder. Many of us may have similar attachments. Think about the teenage girl who wears a necklace from her boyfriend every day, treasuring this object every time she closes its clasp, then weeks later the two break up. The first thing the girl does is dispose of the necklace because she is reminded of “him.” It’s funny how sometimes we closely associate humans with objects. For Theo, the longer he held onto the painting, the longer he held onto his mother. What objects do you hold onto, helping you to keep someone close or a particular memory alive?

– Rachel LeCompte is a library lover who enjoys nothing more than a good book with a strong cup of coffee. She may not be saving lives like doctors (and Superman), but she’ll do her best to save literature – the enrichment to life. Reach her through email at

rachel@gumboguide.com.

Donna Tartt probes the idea of mementos in “The Goldfinch,” as a young boy who accidentally steals a valuable painting during an explosion that kills his mom wrestles with the idea of returning it.

COURTESY PHOTO