A&Z’s Bookshelf, Megan’s Pick: Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

I recently finished Theo of Golden, a reflective novel set in the fictional town of Golden, where a downtown promenade and its central fountain quietly anchor community life.
By Megan Disque

Over the course of a year, Theo deliberately bestows photographic portraits onto the people of Golden. In doing so, the story gradually reveals how interconnected the town truly is — how lives overlap, how people run into one another, and how shared spaces quietly knit a community together. The fountain and promenade aren’t just backdrops; they are the common ground where stories intersect.

While the premise is thoughtful and the setting compelling, the pacing slows in the later chapters, and by the final stretch I was ready for the story to come to a close. The ending, however, brings the narrative together in a way that makes the journey worthwhile and reframes much of what came before it.

Although it isn’t a book about engineering, Theo of Golden offers an interesting reflection on place, proximity, and connection — and how the spaces we share shape the relationships that form within them. For anyone who thinks about community design, downtown spaces, or the role of gathering places in everyday life, it’s a quiet reminder that physical space and human connection are often more intertwined than we realize. Projects like Mishawaka Avenue Streetscape in South Bend, IN are the kinds of places that can serve this purpose!