Adam Dalva found his story in the pages of Donna Tartt’s novel The Goldfinch (reviewed by The Rumpus here). In his essay featured on The Millions, Dalva explores the uncanny similarities between his own life and that of Theo Decker, a fictional character who shares his age, race, sex, and locale. As Dalva puts it, “Tartt somehow even hacked into my private experiences.”

To Dalva, reading Decker’s story feels like reading an autobiography. Dalva looks to Tartt’s book for answers.