Theo, a mysterious visitor, is enchanted by the small town of Golden, particularly the hand-drawn portraits in the coffee shop, and sets out to get to know many of the citizens as he gifts them their own portraits. He is able to make friends and win people over with ease. Everyone feels comfortable in his presence and is charmed by him.
Theo, described in the book’s marketing as a “pleasant but mysterious stranger” arrives in the fictional town of Golden, Georgia, visits the local coffee shop and then begins to establish himself in town and get to know the locals by buying the portraits drawn by a local artist and giving them to the portrait’s subjects. During these meetings, Theo makes friends, exchanges stories and bestows lovely affirmations on the townspeople about how precious and important they are. And then he does it again. And again. And again. And again. And then you know what? He does it again! We are supposed to be impressed by his kindness and generosity, but the truth is that generosity is sharing yourself, not just sharing your money and Theo always, purposefully holds himself back and apart from his new “friends.” It feels kind of slimy throughout, frankly. People share their deepest truths and secrets with him while he shares very little of his true self.
BUT, there is a mystery my friends! I mean, it’s right there in the description of Theo. He’s mysterious (ohhhhhhhhhhhh). We learn early on that he has secrets, and only one person in town knows about them. And then, we wait approximately 300 pages to learn what the secret is. What. A. Snooze. Was the secret ultimately interesting? Sure, but I think it would have had a much bigger impact earlier in the book because when it was finally revealed, I found it completely unsatisfying and it left me with a million more questions than answers and thinking about how angry I would be if I had been in the characters’ situation.
So, I applaud all of you patient readers who love this book. With its super high Goodreads rating, I am clearly an outlier.
The first third of this novel is quite endearing and soothing. And then it just starts getting boring as we read about more and more and more people who are charmed by Theo and vice versa. Isn’t it great that everyone is kind to each other? Isn’t it sweet how everyone feels heard by Theo and that he is so understanding and supportive? Yes! But then it just continues with more of the same. The only break from the monotony of people being kind to each other is one briefly-introduced, unfriendly, angry, jealous boyfriend. There are also a few welcome sections where we learn a little about Theo himself. But they are few and far between. Otherwise, I found myself being lulled to sleep while reading. It took me a very long time to get through the novel.
Theo of Golden meanders—it’s like taking a slow stroll on a beautiful day in a scenic place. And I can see how many people would enjoy this break from our uncertain, stressful world right now. But I need more of a plot. Finally, a plot does emerge for the last 10% of the novel. And I’m sure that 10% is why a lot of people love Theo of Golden. But I was already disappointed before hitting the good stuff at the end and am never likely to change my rating by more than a half-heart by a good ending. In this case, the ending is why I’m giving this novel 3 hearts instead of 2-1/2. Go head and hate me. Bah humbug. This wasn’t my kind of novel. I found it boring. Sorry, friends!
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