Theo of Golden

Theo of Golden (2023) is the debut novel of Allen Levi, an attorney, judge, and singer/songwriter from middle Georgia. The novel follows the enigmatic yet kindly actions of Theo, an elderly Portuguese man who arrives in the southern town of Golden and discovers 92 pencil portraits displayed at a local coffee shop. He embarks on a mission to purchase these portraits and give them to their subjects, whom he considers to be the works’ “rightful owners,” and his “bestowals” create profound connections across the community before his true identity is revealed. The novel explores themes of Cultivating Connection Through Art and Kindness, The Transformative Power of Being Truly Seen, and Finding Redemptive Value in Sadness and Joy.

This guide is based on the 2023 First Edition published by Allen Levi.

Content Warning: Both the source material and this guide contain depictions of death, grief, physical violence, and mental illness, as well as references to racism and pregnancy termination.

Plot Summary

Theo, an elderly Portuguese man with a fondness for rivers, arrives in the southern town of Golden just before Easter. On his first morning, he discovers The Chalice, a coffee shop that features the work of a local artist named Asher Glissen, whose 92 pencil portraits line the coffee shop’s walls. Theo resolves to purchase them individually and give them to their subjects.

Through Tony Wilcox, the sardonic owner of the Verbivore bookshop, Theo learns about an apartment for rent in Ponder House, which is owned by a distinguished consultant named James Ponder. Theo establishes a confidential relationship with Mr. Ponder, renting the third-floor apartment and depositing $100,000 to finance his portrait purchases and charitable endeavors. Mr. Ponder’s secretary, Anita Gidley, helps to track down the addresses of the portraits’ subjects. 

Theo’s first bestowal is to Minnette Prentiss, a young accountant trapped in a career she dislikes. During their meeting, Theo learns that she is the niece of the artist Asher Glissen. As spring progresses, Theo bestows portraits upon several other people, including Kendrick Whitaker, a night custodian whose daughter, Lamisha, was injured in a car accident that killed her mother. When Theo learns of Lamisha’s hospitalization, he discreetly arranges for medical care and for financial support for Kendrick’s grandmother.

Theo’s circle expands to include Simone Lavoie, a graduate cello student; Basil Cannonfield, a street musician; and Ellen, an unhoused woman with a mental illness. Eventually, Theo visits Asher Glissen’s studio, and the two men form a deep bond. During this visit, Theo notices a painting of a lone tree in a field that Asher identifies as his mother’s favorite, though she never explained its significance.

One of Theo’s most significant relationships develops with Ellen. After receiving her portrait, she shares that 30 years earlier, authorities took her infant daughter, Willa Francesca, away, declaring Ellen mentally unfit. Ellen takes Theo on a bicycle tour, and for Christmas, he sends her tools to develop her artistic creations, which she eventually develops into a small business.

Theo reveals to Kendrick that he suffered his own tragic loss decades earlier when his 10-year-old daughter, Tita, died in a car accident with his wife in France. Theo drowned in grief until he witnessed the sunset by the River Marne one evening and felt the first hints of healing. 

By autumn, Theo has deeply integrated into the community. He celebrates Tony’s birthday, and Tony shares some of his most traumatic experiences from the Vietnam War. At Thanksgiving, Theo joins the Glissen family for dinner. Throughout the meal, Theo subtly studies paintings and photographs of Asher’s mother, “Gammy.” 

In December, Theo returns to New York but sends personalized Christmas gifts to many of his friends in Golden. He returns in January to attend Simone’s graduate recital. That night, around 2:00 am, Ellen is sitting at the local fountain when three drunken men attack her. Ellen fights back fiercely, and when Simone happens by and intervenes, the attackers savagely beat him as well. Theo witnesses the attack from this third-floor balcony and leans dangerously over the railing, losing his balance and falling to his death on the sidewalk below.

In the aftermath, the police investigation reveals Theo’s true identity: He is Gamez Theophilus Zilavez, known worldwide as “Zila,” a renowned Portuguese American artist whose works hang in major museums. A newspaper article recounts his decades-long career, his reclusiveness after his wife and daughter died in 1987, and his mysterious decision to live anonymously in Golden. 

The final revelation comes when Asher learns that decades earlier, his mother, “Gammy,” and Theo had fallen in love while studying art in Madrid. When she suddenly returned to Golden, she was pregnant with Asher. She quickly married a longtime sweetheart but wrote to inform Theo that Asher was his son, and she begged Theo never to contact her. Years later, Theo had come to Golden specifically to meet his son.

After Theo’s death, his friends in Golden continue to honor his memory. Asher manages Theo’s estate and continues his portrait work. He often reflects upon his personal connections to Theo.