The Goldfinch: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)

Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, he is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend and moves to Park Avenue. Struggling with grief and isolation among schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, Theo becomes attached to a small painting that reminds him of his mother. This painting draws him into a wealthy and insular art community. As an adult, Theo moves between the drawing rooms of the rich and an antiques store where he works. Alienated and in love, he finds himself at the center of an increasingly dangerous circle. The novel follows Theo from the streets of New York to the art underworld, exploring themes of loss, obsession, survival, and self-invention, and examining the impact of grief and the role of fate.