Theo of Golden, a beautifully crafted novel by Allen Levi is a heartfelt contemporary story that will remain with me for years to come.

Theo, a quiet man of 86, comes from New York to the small city of Golden, Georgia. While there he happens to stop at a coffee shop and is entranced by a wall featuring 92 portraits of local citizens. The portraits are displayed in three different sizes, are drawn by pencil on white paper, and obviously done by the same artist. Theo learns that the portraits are drawn by Asher Glissen who lives right there in Golden.

Theo is so taken by the portraits that he begins to purchase them, one at a time, to be given to the person depicted. In return, he asks only for the person’s story. He decides that the meeting place for the recipients will be at the town’s center, a little park along-side the Chattahoochee River, graced by a fountain, with benches to sit and enjoy the view. Over the course of a year, he writes to each person to invite them to meet with him, with instructions for the recipient to look for a man wearing a green cap sitting on a bench.

One by one they come, always questioning why this man is giving them such a strange, but wonderful, gift. They open up to Theo who listens to stories of dreams, accomplish- ments, even heartaches. One of the first Theo beckons happens to be Minnette Prentiss, the artist Asher Glissen’s niece. Then Simone, a young university student who plays the cello, followed by Ellen, a strange young woman who arrives on her bicycle, Frankie, Kendrick, Basil—over a period of time they come, share their stories, and are blessed by an avid listener, a man generous with his time who might make gentle suggestions. Theo makes other friends, too, including Tony, who owns a bookstore, and has a heart-rending story of his time in Vietnam, but who is still able to joke. And he meets the artist himself, Asher Glissen, and they also become friends.

Theo of Golden is an amazing story written by first-time novelist, Allen Levi. The story depicts common people with a variety of stories of struggle, heart-break, and deeply felt love. It depicts a man who is intensely interested in people, who in his own quiet way shows them tenderness and love. The story has surprising and sometimes regrettable turns. I’ll never forget this book, a gift given to me for my ninety-first birthday. It’s a deeply moving story to cherish.