Engaging character-driven storytelling in Tartt's book. Told as a tale of character growth from the point of view of Theo as he stumbles through life from the death of his mother in his early teens and his unlikely accidental inheritance of a painting masterpiece. Fast-paced novel with a style that is part parable, part 19th Century Russian literature, with a seamless, lifelike meaninglessness that is satisfying, funny and emotionally engaging.