The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

On Thursday, May 14^th the Fixed on Fiction book group met to discuss The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Below is a summary of the novel courtesy of Goodreads:

It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art. As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love-and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle. The Goldfinch is a novel of shocking narrative energy and power. It combines unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and breathtaking suspense, while plumbing with a philosopher's calm the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and art. It is a beautiful, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate.

Overall The Goldfinch was well received by our group with five thumbs up votes, one so-so, and one thumbs down. Here are some of the initial thoughts readers shared when explaining their votes:

• Reading The Goldfinch was an immersive experience for me. I enjoyed it more during the second read so I could be more present with what was happening in the moment. All of the characters were flawed and I loved almost all of them.
• This felt like a rollercoaster ride. I wanted to hug Theo and then slap him! The end killed it for me, she should have stopped earlier.
• I really enjoyed myself. Every word was polished and in the right place. She’s a wordsmith. I did enjoy the first 60% of the book more than the last 40%. It’s gorgeous though.
• I enjoyed the first part, but ultimately there were too many drugged out characters for me. It was interesting to see that kind of addiction but it made me sad. Also, I felt that Tartt developed her male characters more than her female characters.
• I liked the characters a lot, but Pippa wasn’t developed enough. I also thought there was too much philosophy at the end…we don’t have to talk about why everything happened.
• I was engaged through all 770 pages. You start by feeling sympathetic for Theo, but then you realize he’s sort of a scummy character but that’s what made it interesting.

On Theo-

• I was so angry with him over the furniture. Completely putting Hobie at risk and he didn’t consider the future or the consequences.
• But consider the context…the one adult he could count on was taken from him at a formative age. He had grief and trauma…that takes away the sense that there’s predictability in life.
• Theo’s life would have been so different (better) if he had stayed with the Barber’s.
• Theo was so damaged by trauma and Vegas- this sort of thing happens to people in reality. How could he navigate life normally after that?

On Boris & Theo-

• Their close relationship was due to the fact that they were abandoned and only had each other. 
• Boris and Theo had a more feminine friendship in that they were more emotionally intimate than most boys that age are.
• Men who are raised by mothers more than fathers tend to be more sensitive to aesthetics (regarding Theo’s descriptions of clothes, décor, etc.)
• When Boris showed up in NYC, I was thinking- “RUN THEO!”
• But Boris was Theo’s only friend. He was a loyal friend.
• Boris was the most well developed character in the book. He made me laugh even though he got Theo into drugs, theft, etc.
• Boris assumed all that time that Theo knew about that painting… I found that fascinating.
• The huge surprise for me was when Boris informed Theo that he was a blackout drunk-suddenly we have an unreliable narrator (another reader followed up by saying- That’s what kept the book working even though it was so long- Tartt gave us several small twists throughout the book).

On Kitsy-

• Kitsy was pretty flat- another female character not very well developed (Previously, a reader commented that Pippa wasn’t developed enough but perhaps that was intentional to reinforce how unattainable she was to Theo).
• Kitsy was just a society person who wanted to make a “good marriage.”
• Theo was just as eager to please Mrs. Barber as Kitsy. But Kitsy was extremely superficial.
• But Kitsy and Theo both have guilt in common.
• Ultimately, this was an in depth view of how complicated lives can be and how we truly can never know the interior of someone else’s life.

On Hobie-

• Hobie just let Theo be- he didn’t know how to parent and wasn’t prepared to do so.
• My heart was crushed for Hobie when Theo betrayed him. He was the most good-hearted character in the whole book and Theo put his reputation in such danger.
• Theo had so many opportunities to tell Hobie the truth.

On art-

• I loved the art history. In art appreciation your love of art becomes so much greater the more you know about it…just like the book.
• I was glad that the book wasn’t super art history detailed. I was happy that the painting was in the background and the characters were in the forefront.

These were just a few highlights from our discussion. Please feel free to add additional thoughts on The Goldfinch in the comments section below.