I just finished reading the wildly popular book, Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi. I’m amazed that a book this good is the first novel he has written.
Rich in character development, surprising in the ending plot, this book is a delightful masterpiece. I was drawn in, enchanted, and inspired. There is something for nearly everyone in this book, especially for those who enjoy beauty, art, relationships, and particularly for believers. This book does not preach to us, “be like Theo,” it simply paints a picture that inspires us to humbly be like Theo.

SPOILER ALERT: This next part may give away too much plot, but for discussion with others who have read it, here goes…

I see “Theo,” which comes from the Greek for “God,” as a Christ-figure. Although Levi paints him as (like Christ) fully human and (unlike Christ) with faults and sin in his past, I don’t think we have to take him as an allegory for Christ but as a symbolic reminder of Christ. He suddenly appears among us for a brief period of time, he humbly shows us the way to live, he blesses us and gives to those who will listen, and he dies sacrificially. After his death, people are changed. This point is stressed in the funeral sermon for Theo in which the priest compares the wonderment of the disciples after Jesus’ resurrection with the wonder of the people of Golden at having met Theo.

If you read the book, what do you think?