6 DEGREES OF SEPARATION #4: THE GOLDFINCH.

They say every person on the planet is linked to any other in six or fewer steps BUT what about books?'

Books can be linked in obvious ways - for example, books by the same author, from the same era or genre, or books with similar themes or settings. Or, you may choose to link them in more personal or esoteric ways: books you read on the same holiday, boos given to you by a particular friend, books that remind you of a particular time in your life, or books you read for an online challenge'

Yeah! It's that time of the month again, its 6 Degrees of Separation #4.

Hosted by Emma and Annabel who would love for you to join in the fun (for more information/to post a link to your choices click HERE) this month's book is ......

Aged thirteen, Theo Decker, son of a devoted mother and a reckless, largely absent father, survives an accident that otherwise tears his life apart. Alone and rudderless in New York, he is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. He is tormented by an unbearable longing for his mother, and down the years clings to the thing that most reminds him of her: a small, strangely captivating painting that ultimately draws him into the criminal underworld. As he grows up, Theo learns to glide between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love - and his talisman, the painting, places him at the centre of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

The Goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through present-day America and a drama of enthralling power. Combining unforgettably vivid characters and 

thrilling suspense, it is a beautiful, addictive triumph - a sweeping story of loss and obsession, of survival and self-invention, of the deepest mysteries of love, identity and fate.

Another book I have yet to read but for me The Goldfinch brings to mind .....

#1 BLACK CROW WHITE LIE. The story of Carson Calley who at twelve is almost the same age as the thirteen year old Theo. Raised by his mother, he sets out on an extraordinary journey to finally be with the absent father he believes to be a war hero.

#2 THE LAST TRAIN TO OMAHA. Just as I loved Carson because of/despite his flaws another character who will stay with me for a long time is war veteran Martin Diggs in The Last Train To Omaha which is set in a palliative care hospital for veterans of various conflicts.

#3 SPIDER BONES. The 13th book in the Temperance Brennan series, Spider Bones is the story of John Lowery, an American soldier who it would appear has died twice.

#4 CHARLOTTE'S WEB. Last read before I began blogging. Charlotte's Web is the story of a little girl named Fern who, with the help of a friendly spider (surely the only one to be loved by even arachnophobes), saves Wilbur, her pet pig, from a fate not uncommon to pigs.

#5 THE COOK. Containing descriptions of butchery that would see Wilbur running for his pig-pen this is the story of 17 year old Zac who is given the choice of either going to a young Offender's Institute or enrolling on a rehabilitation scheme that teaches juveniles to cook.

#6 SILENT BOY. Another story of a disturbed young man though this one happens to be based on actual events. Whilst in The Cook Zac is offered an alternative to life as a juvenile delinquency in Silent Boy the author of the book, an educational psychologist, is determined to offer the fifteen year old Kevin a chance of a life not spent 'desperately afraid of the world around him'.

Please note: Unless otherwise stated all the links are to books reviewed on Pen and Paper.

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