THEO OF GOLDEN
by Allen Levi
Originally self-published and the author’s first novel, Theo of Golden piqued my interest before I’d even picked it up to read. I love a story about a breakthrough novel that gains its audience because so many friends recommend it to their friends that before you know it, it’s a bestseller. And everywhere I went, people told me they’d either just finished it or couldn’t wait to start it. Now that I have read it, I think much of its appeal is in the author’s genuine portrayal of the effects that acts of kindness can have on other people.
Theo, an older man of means who moves into a small Georgian town, takes the time to notice and appreciate the world around him—and that world includes people. Never too busy to engage in a conversation, individuals find that they somehow feel uplifted after chatting with Theo. And yet, whenever people ask about him about himself, he evasively redirects the talk back towards them. Levi constructs the plot of Theo of Golden around Theo’s decision to buy each of the 92 portraits hanging in the local coffeehouse and giving each one as a gift to the subject of the portrait. In the course of meeting with each of the subjects, Theo manages to not only engage with each person, but to earn their trust and friendship. Even more amazing, Theo enables them to identify in themselves strengths and virtues they didn’t even know they possessed.
Honestly, as I read the first chapters of Theo of Golden, a voice inside my head kept whispering, “Is this hokey? Is Theo just too good to be true?” But I read on, and the story is so unaffectedly charming and so refreshingly authentic, that I couldn’t help getting caught up in it. Theo of Golden is an old-fashioned story about how one person’s kindness can impact so many people. Not only do others feel uplifted by being listened to and valued, many then project that kindness towards others in their lives. Theo of Golden isn’t an earth-shattering novel, but it will quietly remind you of the people in your life who have shown you kindness and might leave you feeling a bit more upbeat about the future. (Liz)
