The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Goldfinch--The Painting that is used
as the novel's central theme 

If I could only take 3 books with me to a deserted island for a one year stint, one of those books would surely be The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. This novel is not to be missed, and is so rich with detail and plot, that it could be re-read and enjoyed anew many, many times over.


Here's a summary by 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.

Here is the author speaking about her novel:

Notice in the painting above: The goldfinch sits on a perch and is trapped by a delicate but undeniable chain on his right claw. The Goldfinch somehow is able to chain Theo Decker throughout his life also. Loved it. It's winding and  fraught with tension. The characters are well developed and the settings are so well drawn that you can almost smell and taste them. The writing is beautiful, and insightful. It is memorable and certainly one that I recommend.