Theo of Golden is a remarkable book with an extraordinary story. Not just the plot of the novel, but the background of the work itself. The author is 70+ years old and this is his first novel. It was initially self-published but generated enough buzz to cause Simon & Schuster to republish it and give it wide distribution. Word of mouth has propelled it to bestseller status. I heard about it on a Facebook group for readers where several members raved about it enough to make me think it might be worth giving it a try. I am forever grateful to those people.

The quick blurb: An older Portuguese man moves from NY to Golden, a fictional small city somewhere in the vicinity of Savannah, Georgia. He sees a group of portraits in a local coffee shop, resolves to buy them all, and give them to their subjects. That’s the basic premise, but his actions touch peoples’ lives, bring changes, move hearts, and establish connections along the way.

There are also several levels of mystery. Who is Theo? Why did he come to Golden? What moved him to buy the pictures and give them away? Those questions are resolved in the end, and many of the answers are touching, surprising, and sometimes tie up ends you didn’t even realize were loose.

I read it and recommended it to my husband and others. As my husband said after reading it, “It’s a rare book that makes you want to be a better person.” It is indeed a rare book.

As an author, I have to say: If ever there was a book I wish I could have written myself, this is it.