“On the left, right, and rear walls were portraits, ninety-two of them in total, done in pencil on white paper and in black frames of three sizes. All had obviously been done by the same artist. And, as if to reflect the customers in the shop at that moment, the collection included a full range of humanity—age, race, and expression. Portraits and portraits and more portraits.”
That’s a passage from Chapter Two of Allen Levi’s novel Theo of Golden. The ninety-two portraits hang in a coffee shop in Golden, Georgia. The person who noticed them is Theo, a mysterious, eighty-six-year-old stranger who takes up residence in Golden for a year.
One by one he purchases those portraits and presents them as gifts to the subject of the art. He asks for nothing in return except a conversation to get to know them. They come from all walks of life: a female accountant with an unfeeling father, a college cellist working towards his master's recital, a busker, a night janitor with a hospitalized young daughter, a well-read homeless woman with mental illness.
The only one that knows Theo’s true identity is the local attorney/consultant who helps Theo deliver letters to each recipient, as well as perform anonymous charitable acts.
This book touched me like no other. As the book cover says, it is “is a beautifully crafted novel about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder to a purposeful life, and the invisible threads of kindness that bind us to one another.” The author is an attorney, judge, singer/songwriter, and this is his first novel.
Everyone must read this lovely, lovely book, Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi. Have a box of tissue handy.
