I pre-ordered this book because The Toast told me to. That review is a delight to read, and this book was as well.

What can I say? At times it’s both painful to read and difficult to set down, viscerally describing the aftermath of an explosion, or the emotional intensity of adolescent love, or the delights and horrors of drug abuse. Even though we spent extensive time deeply entrenched in mundane periods of the narrator’s life, there was a sense of forward momentum, and a few anchors to steady the story – this goldfinch painting being the main one.

Though I doubt I’ll read this book again, it definitely built a space of its own in my imagination – I’m so curious to know how the years progress after the end of the book, and what develops in the narrator’s life. He was broken and full of potential, and I couldn’t help but cheer for him.

But just read it. I’m guessing everyone finds something different in this book.