Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2014.
Aged thirteen, Theo Decker, son of a devoted mother and a reckless, largely absent father, survives an accident that otherwise tears his life apart. Alone and rudderless in New York, he is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. He is tormented by an unbearable longing for his mother, and down the years clings to the thing that most reminds him of her: a small, strangely captivating painting that ultimately draws him into the criminal underworld. As he grows up, Theo learns to glide between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love – and his talisman, the painting, places him at the centre of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle. The Goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through present-day America and a drama of enthralling power. Combining unforgettably vivid characters and thrilling suspense, it is a beautiful, addictive triumph – a sweeping story of loss and obsession, of survival and self-invention, of the deepest mysteries of love, identity and fate.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 880
Imprint: ABACUS
Publication date: 05/06/2014

The Goldfinch
by Donna Tartt
Review by Isabelle
A long, lyrical story of love, obsession and searching for comfort in all the wrong things. Strap in for vivid depictions of Art History, heroin, antiquing, bombings, Proust and Russian drug dealers. Like the rest of Tartt's books, you'll find characters you'll either deeply love or deeply hate (I had the exciting experience of wanting to slap everyone but also hug them tenderly and send them to therapy), extended descriptions of characters' day to day routines that fully immerse you in their lives, and simmering homoeroticism that the author may or may not have intended. Perfect for fans of M.L. Rio, Otessah Moshfegh and Barabara Kingsolver.