the goldfinch

„the goldfinch“ by Donna Tartt
This novel tells the story of the young boy Theo who survives an act of terror in an art museum in New York and how he deals with its consequences in the following years. It touches topics such as drug abuse, mental illness, trauma and violence, friendship and love. Because of the topics mentioned it isn‘t an easy read and yet i read in in a couple of days- despite the fact it has >1000 pages, thanks to Tartt’s addictive worldbuilding. Like in the secret history, one of my all-time-favourite books, the characters are extremly vivid and nuanced, i loved the detailed description of the scenery, and completely sunk into the story. I could feel myself strolling alongside Theo, Boris and Poptschik through the deserted streets of Vegas, could imagine the smell of the wood in the old workstation in New York and felt with every character- no matter if they seemed unlikeable or not.

There is literally nothing, Donna Tartt could write that i wouldn’t want to read. Yet i would only recommend this to anyone, who‘s willing to spend that much time on a novel that might get repetitive, sometimes leaves you anxious, sometimes bored, as the main character who hyperfixiates on certain topics, tells you all about them- which i loved, cause it felt real, but a lot of people didn‘t i guess.

This author will always hold a very special place in my heart and i’m so excited to go watch the movie and see what the film industry made out of this incredible novel.