by Cathryn Conroy (Dublin, Ohio): Oh. This. Book. When the world around you is falling apart, this is the book you should read. It is literary comfort food for the soul.
You will smile. You might even laugh. And you will likely tear up. And eventually you will finish it, gently close it, and sigh.
Beautifully written by Allen Levi, this is the story of Theo (just Theo), a wealthy 86-year-old gentleman who was born and raised in Portugal and has lived all over the world. And now for mysterious reasons, he has arrived on a sunny spring morning in the small Georgia town of Golden where he gently and compassionately touches the hearts and souls of many of the residents. After renting a third-floor walk-up apartment on top of the Ponder Building, which is owned by one Mr. James Ponder whom Theo employs as a kind of business manager for secretive reasons that will eventually be revealed.
Theo frequents the local coffee shop, called The Chalice, and sees on its walls 92 hand-drawn portraits of Golden residents. The portraits are intricate works of art by a local artist named Asher Glisson and each one is for sale. Theo has an idea! He will buy them one-by-one and present them to the person depicted in portrait. He writes each person a beautiful handwritten letter on exquisite stationery, requesting a meeting on a bench facing the river along the town’s promenade. Although most are skeptical and even alarmed by this request from a total stranger—is this a scam?—they show up and are astounded by the gift and the conversation with Theo. So many of them reveal their deepest secrets and desires to this gracious old man. Lives are changed when Theo touches them.
As much as this is obviously a story of the joy of giving, it is just as much a story of faces. Looking at faces—really looking, not just a passing glance—is how we humans truly get to know one another. As one character says in the book, “God gave us faces so we can see each other better.”
While it can be a bit sappy at times, this is a simple story with a simple plot and a powerful message of love and compassion.
Bonus: This book has the BEST dedication, sure to make you smile.
