Summary
Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch took the literary world by storm upon its release in 2013. This sprawling 771-page novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2014 and spent over 30 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. The titular painting, Carel Fabritius's The Goldfinch, becomes a talisman for the protagonist and drives much of the plot. Tartt's vivid prose earned both critical acclaim and commercial success, with the book selling millions of copies worldwide and being translated into numerous languages.
In 2019, The Goldfinch was adapted into a feature film directed by John Crowley. The star-studded cast included Ansel Elgort and Nicole Kidman. The film received mixed reviews and underperformed at the box office. Despite this, the novel's popularity has endured, cementing Tartt's reputation as one of the most significant American novelists of her generation.
Plot
The Goldfinch begins with 13-year-old Theo Decker surviving a terrorist bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that kills his mother. In the chaos, Theo takes Carel Fabritius's painting The Goldfinch and a ring from a dying man. Orphaned, he moves in with a wealthy friend's family on Park Avenue. Theo returns the ring to James “Hobie” Hobart, the business partner of the man who died, and befriends a young girl named Pippa who was also injured in the bombing.
Theo's life is upended again when his estranged father arrives and takes him to Las Vegas. There, Theo befriends Boris, the son of a Ukrainian émigré. The two boys spend their time drinking and using drugs. After his father dies in a car crash, Theo flees back to New York and is taken in by Hobie. The story then jumps ahead eight years, with Theo now working as Hobie's business partner in antiques, secretly selling fakes to keep the business afloat. He remains haunted by grief and guilt over the stolen painting.
Boris suddenly reappears in Theo's life, revealing he had stolen The Goldfinch from Theo years ago. The painting has since been used as collateral in criminal dealings. Boris and Theo travel to Amsterdam to recover the painting, leading to a violent confrontation where Theo kills a man. Afraid and ill, Theo contemplates suicide in his hotel room. Boris eventually returns, having tipped off the authorities about the painting's location and receiving a large reward, which he shares with Theo.
Back in New York, Theo uses the money to buy back the fake antiques he sold. He reflects on his experiences, fate, and the power of art to provide meaning and connection across time. Though still struggling with trauma and addiction, Theo finds some measure of peace and purpose through his appreciation for beauty and his work preserving antiques. The novel ends with Theo's bittersweet realization that his love for Pippa can never be fully realized, yet art and beauty offer a form of solace and transcendence.
Themes
Loss and grief
Art and beauty as a source of meaning
Identity and self-discovery
Fate versus free will
The impact of childhood trauma
Morality and ethical dilemmas
The power of human connection
Setting
The Goldfinch is set primarily in modern-day America, spanning a period from the early 2000s to the 2010s. The story begins in New York City, where 13-year-old Theo Decker experiences a tragic event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that shapes the course of his life. The bustling metropolis serves as a backdrop for Theo's early adolescence and later adulthood, contrasting sharply with his temporary relocation to Las Vegas.
In Las Vegas, Theo finds himself in a vastly different environment - a sprawling desert city characterized by its casinos, suburban developments, and sense of transience. This setting plays a crucial role in Theo's coming-of-age, as he navigates new friendships and experiences against the backdrop of an often-neglectful home life. The stark difference between the cultural richness of New York and the more desolate landscape of Las Vegas highlights Theo's sense of displacement and loss. The novel also takes readers to Amsterdam in its later chapters, introducing an international element to the story.
Characters
Theodore “Theo” Decker: The protagonist and narrator. Theo loses his mother in a terrorist bombing at age 13 and steals a famous painting in the aftermath. He struggles with grief, addiction, and guilt as he navigates adolescence and young adulthood. Theo's experiences with loss and art shape his journey of self-discovery.
Boris Pavlikovsky: Theo's charismatic and troubled friend from Las Vegas. Boris introduces Theo to a world of drugs and petty crime. As an adult, he becomes involved in the criminal underworld and plays a crucial role in the fate of the stolen painting.
James “Hobie” Hobart: A kind antiques dealer who takes Theo under his wing. Hobie becomes a father figure to Theo and teaches him the art of furniture restoration. His gentle nature provides stability in Theo's turbulent life.
Pippa: A girl Theo meets at the museum bombing who becomes the object of his lifelong obsession. Pippa suffers injuries in the attack and struggles with trauma like Theo. Their shared experience creates a deep bond between them.
Mrs. Barbour: The elegant matriarch of the wealthy family that takes in Theo after his mother's death. She provides a semblance of stability during Theo's early grief.
Xandra: Theo's father's girlfriend in Las Vegas. A hard-living cocktail waitress who shows moments of kindness to Theo.
Kitsey Barbour: Andy's sister and Theo's eventual fiancée. Their relationship is more about convenience than passion.
Welty: Hobie's deceased business partner and Pippa's guardian. His dying words to Theo set much of the plot in motion.
Larry Decker: Theo's unreliable, gambling-addicted father. He briefly takes custody of Theo in Las Vegas before dying in a car accident.
Andy Barbour: Theo's school friend whose family takes him in after the bombing. A socially awkward but kind boy.
Quick facts
It took Donna Tartt 11 years to write The Goldfinch.
The book is 771 pages long and over 300,000 words.
The story was partly inspired by Tartt's own experience surviving a severe tornado as a child.
The titular painting is a real artwork by Carel Fabritius from 1654.
The Goldfinch spent over 30 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.
The novel has been translated into over 40 languages.
Stephen King praised it as one of the best books he'd read in years.
The book's reception was polarizing, with some critics calling it a masterpiece and others heavily criticizing it.
About the Author
Donna Tartt is an acclaimed American novelist born in 1963 in Greenwood, Mississippi. She began writing at a young age, publishing her first poem at 13 and gaining recognition for her talent while attending the University of Mississippi. Tartt drew inspiration from Bennington College, where she studied and met fellow writers like Bret Easton Ellis and Jonathan Lethem.
Tartt's literary career took off with her debut novel The Secret History in 1992, which became a critical and commercial success. She followed this with The Little Friend in 2002 and The Goldfinch in 2013. Her works have been translated into forty languages, showcasing her global appeal. Tartt's writing style is often described as neo-romantic, and she is known for spending about a decade crafting each of her novels.
Throughout her career, Tartt has received numerous accolades for her work. She won the WH Smith Literary Award for The Little Friend in 2003, and The Goldfinch earned her both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction in 2014. Time magazine also included her in their “100 Most Influential People” list that same year, cementing her status as a literary powerhouse.
Tartt is known for being relatively private. She has lived in various locations, including Greenwich Village and Charlottesville, Virginia. A convert to Catholicism, Tartt has written about the role of faith in her creative process. Her dedication to her craft and unique voice have established her as one of the most respected authors of her generation.
