The Goldfinch

This is easily one of my favorite books. It’s a sprawling, Dickensian novel that completely immerses you in the life of its protagonist, Theodore “Theo” Decker, in the aftermath of a life-altering tragedy. At 13, Theo survives a bombing at a New York art museum that kills his mother, and in the chaos, he impulsively takes a small, priceless painting: Carel Fabritius’s “The Goldfinch.”

This single act sets the course for the rest of his life. The painting becomes his most prized possession and a dangerous secret, a tangible link to the mother he lost. The story charts his tumultuous journey through adolescence and into adulthood, from the opulent apartments of the Upper East Side to the desolate suburbs of LasGAS, and into the criminal underworld of the art market. It’s a profound exploration of loss, grief, obsession, and the redemptive power of art.