The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Who hasn't heard of Donna Tartt? I think that is enough reason for picking up this book.

 The novel is circular, starting at the end, with Theo in a hotel room as an adult, trying to comes to terms with a murder. The book then heads straight to his childhood, showing us how he got there. He is thirteen when he looses his mother. His life is then knocked around as he journeys from one home to the next, meeting an array of interesting (and by 'interesting', I don't necessarily mean nice) people who have a long term affect on who he eventually becomes.

“But sometimes, unexpectedly, grief pounded over me in waves that left me gasping; and when the waves washed back, I found myself looking out over a brackish wreck which was illumined in a light so lucid, so heartsick and empty, that I could hardly remember that the world had ever been anything but dead.”

― Donna Tartt, The Goldfinch

I had really high expectation for The Goldfinch. I was expecting to be wowed, amazed, shocked... You know, all those nice feelings one has while reading. And I suppose I was. I will give Donna Tartt one thing: she can definitely create characters that walk off the page and into one's head. I lived and breathed this while I was reading it. But having said that, it wasn't the easiest book to pick up. (Being the massive tome it is, does account for some of that.)

I must confess that while I could see how all the little titbits of information along the way really added to the life of the characters, there were places where I felt that huge chunks could really have been removed. Heading off to buy flowers etc. was one of those places. It was unnecessary and only added to the page count, and not the story or characters. There were quite a few of those.

But the masterful way Tartt got me to like Theo, even when I would have eventually shunned him in real life, was quite something. In fact, let's forget Theo and look at Boris. Boris was the kid you don't want your kid to play with. Boris is the adult that makes you avoid dark streets and flashing money around. And yet... and yet I liked him. Tartt got me to see past the external view and to see someone real and human and hurt and trying to survive underneath that tough exterior.

While I think this really deserves the 4 star rating I gave it, I would only really recommend it to those who don't need a rapid pace in their books. Oh. And please only venture this if you have really strong wrists.