Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

A gentle, unhurried novel that spread almost entirely by word of mouth before it found a wide readership. Theo of Golden follows an elderly stranger who arrives in a southern river town, begins buying portraits from a local gallery, and gradually changes the lives of the people he meets — without ever quite explaining himself.

What to expect

• Literary fiction with a small cast and a strong sense of place
• A slow, deliberate pace built on conversations rather than incident
• Themes of attention, kindness, grief and the value of noticing people
• A structure that accumulates meaning rather than building to a twist

Who it’s for

Readers of quiet, character-driven fiction — the audience for A Man Called Ove, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society or Fredrik Backman generally. A frequent book club choice, and a book people tend to buy second copies of to give away.

Not for

Readers who want plot momentum. Nothing much happens, deliberately, and that is the point of it.

Edition details

• Author: Allen Levi
• Format: Paperback
• ISBN: 978-1668236512
• Language: English

Ships free within the United States from Shelfcove.