THEO OF GOLDEN - WEEK 1 - PROLOGUE - CHAPTER 5

THEO OF GOLDEN by Allen Levi

I have to laugh as I sit down to write this. I don't have my book yet. It's on it's way and will hopefully be delivered later today. Over the weekend I was in Columbus and thought about swinging by the Barnes and Noble to pick up a copy, but I love supporting my local bookstore and knew that I was going there with a friend yesterday. So, I waited. Yesterday, my friend and I went in, and don't you know, they were all sold out. This book is really flying off the shelves! ( Tuck that in the back of your mind and ask yourself why that is at the end of the book.) Scramble time. I ordered a copy from Amazon, and then proceeded to read the sample on their website. Score! All is well!

I finished my reading for today, and I just had to know a bit more about Allen Levi. A book as emotionally engaging as this one is typically has an author that has some real life skin-in-the-game experience, and this one does. I found out that Levi visited a coffee shop that has 92 portraits on the wall, and as he studied them, he began to think about what would happen if someone bought them and connected with the subjects of the portraits. Also, in an interview, he shared that Theo is based off of his younger brother, Gary, who passed away. He's got emotional skin in this game.

Something very interesting about Theo of Golden is that Allen Levi self published it through Amazon in 2023. It has steadily grown in popularity and has been picked up by a major publishing house. So for all of you who self publish, share your work with others. You never know where it will take you.

One of the first things I noticed about Theo is how his character is developed through the chapters. We're not given a lump sum description of him and then the story moves on. We're introduced to him slowly, and that really gives us the opportunity to treat him like a friend. Typically, when we meet people we learn a little bit about them, but it takes some time to really get to know them, and as we do, we decide if we like them or not. With each chapter that passes we are given another layer to the character of Theo, and it is an absolute delight to encounter each new layer. Think about all we learn about him. He sleeps well which suggests a person at peace with themself. He notices things. He prepares. His interests dictate his movements. He speaks 5 languages. He has imagination. His is fascinated by detail: lines and intricacy. He doesn't think about himself. He takes midday rests. He's 86-years-old. He's a widower and a father. He describes himself as a "toothless lion."

Our story opens by telling us that it covers one year: from spring to spring. Immediately, when I hear that I think about new birth. It will be interesting to see if that holds true here. Theo's lived many places; Portugal, France, New York to name a few. He has a "riparian instinct." (Anyone look that up? I did. It means he has a desire to live near moving water.)

We have this beautiful metaphor of Theo and a moving river along with a series of names of people that have been impacted by the movement of Theo.

Theo leaves snowy New York and heads to Golden. Golden is based on Columbia, Georgia. He didn't just choose this place willy-nilly. He researched out the cobblestones, the ironworks, the cotton warehouses and the antebellum oaks. (Anyone look up antebellum? It means pre-war. The oaks are older than the Civil War.)

He enters The Chalice coffee shop. Notice how people greet each other. We all yearn to live in such a place. Theo notices the 92 portraits on the wall, metaphorical windows. After all, the artist, Asher Glissen, tells each of their stories by the lines and details on their faces. Theo genuflects in front of each one.( Genuflects means to momentarily bend the knee to the ground and then stand back up almost in a state of reverence.) He is bothered that no one has purchased the portraits and decides to do something about that.

He asks Shep about the portraits. Notice that when Shep responds he's interested in getting to know Theo before telling him about the artwork. Oh, if we would all take an extra moment and get to know people that we interact with instead of buzzing off to the next thing! I do have say that I am interested as to why Theo doesn't offer up much information about himself and why Shep doesn't really explain the reason for the name of the coffee shop. I have a feeling we may be stepping into some deep waters when we get that answered..

Theo chooses one of the portraits and purchases it with a plan in mind. Interestingly, it has a familiarity to it in the eyes of the young woman. A mystery for sure. He pens a letter to the young woman, Minnette Prentiss, telling her he wants to gift it to her and adds that he would be happy to visit with her if she would like. He chooses a beautiful, but public spot, in the daytime We have to ask ourselves how we would feel if we received such a letter.. There's no doubt that my response to a letter like that would be, "no way!" Allen Levi respects our modern inclination to distrust by giving us the interchange that happens between Minnette and her husband, Derrick. We also get peace knowing that Derrick does his due diligence by contacting the artist, Asher Glissen, who just happens to be Minnette's uncle. Did you notice that when the phone rings with Derrick's call, we're told that Asher answers the phone even though it wasn't the call he was waiting for? Little hooks that dig into us urging us on to try and uncover the meaning behind the words.

As always, there's lots more we could talk about, but I'll leave room for your thoughts. I'll end with this. I was told by more than one person that this book starts slow but to" hang in there." I was hooked immediately. The complexity of Theo that makes me wonder about him, the beautiful descriptions that allow the story to play out on my mind's screen, and the questions that I am already waiting to be answered have absolutely locked me in. I can't wait to continue on!

Regarding that - once I have my book, I'll post the reading schedule. Until then, have a great week, and I'll be back with you before you know it!