Author: Allen Levi
Year published: 2025
Category: Adult fiction
Pages: 400
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Location: (my 2025 Google Reading map): USA (GA)
Summary: One spring morning, a stranger named Theo arrives in the small Southern city of Golden. He doesn't explain much about where he came from or why he's there—but when he visits the local coffeehouse, where pencil portraits of the people of Golden hang on the walls, he begins purchasing them, one at a time, and giving each portrait to the person depicted. In exchange, he asks only for the person's story. And so portrait by portrait, person by person, secrets are revealed, regrets are shared, and ordinary lives are profoundly altered.
Review: My in-person book group unanimously chose this novel. Our local indie book store can't keep copies on the shelves. That's a lot of hype. Did it live up to it? Well, I was teary within the first 50 pages so I figured it was going to be a book that worked for me and I was right.
One of my book group members said she liked it in the end, but it was too Pollyanna. I disagree. Maybe it's the times, but I loved that it was positive and showed the good in humanity. I also think it isn't Polyanna-ish. There is sadness, tragedy, and cruelty, though all are met with humanity.
This is a story of found family, goodness, compassion, a love of nature, the power of community, and an inquisitiveness that is often lacking in today's "look at me" social media. Theo truly cares about knowing people. What a wonderful gift to give to another person. To ask about them and really listen to the answers. And to bestow the gift of the portraits is selfless, leading to deeper connections. We should all be so lucky to have the impact Theo had on those around us.
Challenges for which this counts:
- Alphabet (Author)--L
- Immigration--Portugal to USA
- Literary Escapes--Georgia
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