Our book club's 2019 argument about 'The Goldfinch' got so heated we had to take a break.

We met at the old cafe on Main Street, and the talk about the book's ending turned into a full hour of people almost yelling. Sarah from our group actually left early because she felt the main character's choices were being judged too harshly. It was the only time in ten years we skipped picking a new book for the next month. Has your club ever had a debate that basically shut down the meeting?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese_thompson7422d ago

Wow, that's wild. See, I'm totally with Sarah on this one. Theo was a messed up kid who went through a huge trauma, and then he just got passed around these terrible grown-ups. The ending with him holding onto the painting felt like the only real thing he had left from his mom. People act like he made all these clear choices, but he was just a lost kid trying to survive. I get why that book makes people fight, though.

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allen.ruby22d ago

But he had chances to get help later on... the painting became more of an excuse to keep lying to himself.