Theo of Golden: A Book Review

Even when a novel is on the New York Times Best Seller list and is picked up by various book clubs, I am usually rather skeptical about whether it will appeal to me or not. However, when several friends recommended Theo of Golden to me, I decided to give it a try. Actually, I bought it in March and just read it in August. Once I started, I was hooked.

Author Allen Levi shares the story a mysterious stranger who arrives in the city of Golden, Georgia, and begins investing in the lives of people there. Levi weaves together various themes—faith, nature, art, music, relationships—to illustrate the impact that one individual can make in the lives of others. He reminds us not only of the power of generosity but of compassion as well. He does not ignore the ugliness and chaos present in even a small community but reminds us that love and faith make a difference in any circumstance.

To share just one example, here is part of eulogy offered by a priest in the novel. Thinking about the appearance of Jesus to the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, he shares these words:

“But God, in His sublime goodness, has always sent others, mysterious others, to walk with us — prophets, preachers, friends, teachers, artists, storytellers, wives and husbands, children, songbirds and rivers, even hardship and loss — to help us see clearly. They are ones who make our hearts burn within us, who call us out of our indifference, our lethargy, our death and defeat. They call us to be fully alive, or at least more alive than we were before we met them.”

Levi reminds us of those we have encountered in our lives who caused “our hearts to burn within us” and encourages us to do the same. I highly recommend his novel.

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