Book friends are the best kind of friends.
Book friends are the kind of people that you sometimes will not hear from for weeks, months or even years. But the second they read something life changing, they are sliding into your DMs without hesitation, dropping book recs like they can’t sleep until someone else takes up their cause.
These are my people.
And if these people were not a part of my life, then I would have never heard of “Theo of Golden.”
Author Allen Levi’s debut effort came to my attention because of just such a DM from a book friend, and because I trust this friend’s judgment, I immediately tracked it down and placed it at the top of my large TBR pile. “Theo of Golden” may very well have a cult following, at least here in the Midwest — it was not available at my local library, nor at any of the partner libraries in our county system. (Yay for local booksellers!)
And if it does have a cult following, having read it, I say it’s absolutely deserved. It’s a gem.
“Theo of Golden” is a gentle force of nature in telling the story of a mysterious yet friendly man that takes up residence in the Georgia college town of Golden. Planting roots along the downtown district in a top-floor apartment overseeing the goings on about town, Theo begins to develop friendships with more than a handful of residents, including:
- James Ponder, the consultant-for-hire from whom he rents his apartment;
- Tony, the bachelor bookseller and Vietnam vet;
- Shep, the coffeeshop owner whose cafe is home to a number of portraits that have attracted Theo’s attention;
- Simone and Basil, local music prodigies;
- Ellen, a local unhoused woman and fellow bird enthusiast;
- Kendrick and Lamisha, a college custodian and his young daughter;
- Minette and Derrick, the first couple to benefit from Theo’s generosity, and last but not least;
- Asher Glissen, the local artist whose portraits Theo loves.
Levi weaves together these relationships in a quiet yet deeply heartfelt manner, without missing a beat in his story arc. It’s the very definition of a calm breeze kind of book that sucks you in without the anxiety that sometimes come with reading a mystery or thriller. By the time you get to the end, you realize you’ve been hit with a ton of emotional bricks without having the bruises to show for it — which honestly right now is a welcome change of pace, no?
Theo’s gift to the residents of Golden isn’t just one of surprise packages by the fountain — his presence and curiosity and kindness is a gift of example — in how even the most eccentric of strangers, those afflicted personally and professionally, those battling inner demons … can find love and contentment in the gift of friendship.
If you love small towns, close friends, art, music and the sometimes unexpected gifts of generosity from strangers, then this is the read for you. So yourself a favor and pick it up.
LitzyDitz 