THE PICASSO CURSE

A small drawing hidden in a picture frame upends an Illinois 12-year-old’s life with the prospect of untold wealth.

Edwin, who reads white, dislikes making hard decisions. That’s unfortunate, since the scrap of paper that falls out of a framed Kobe Bryant poster he buys at a flea market for $10 turns out to be an unsigned but possibly authentic Picasso drawing worth millions. What will he do with it? Alternatives proliferate, particularly after his story goes national and even trends on TikTok. Edwin and his unemployed parents are besieged by interested parties—and even targeted by a burglar. Edwin’s decision-making is further complicated once he learns of the surprising number of Picasso’s friends and family members who died prematurely due to a supposed “curse,” causing him a sleepless night of worry. An author less inclined to gleefully torture his readers might have tidily settled Edwin’s quandary by the end; instead, Gutman leaves his bewildered protagonist at the very moment of choice to ask them what they would do and offers sympathetic observations about “decision anxiety.” For extra kicks, as part of a scenario explaining how the (fictive) drawing came to be created and then traveled to America, the author concludes with a historical note about the true story of the young Picasso’s alleged involvement with the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisafrom the Louvre.

Fun and challenging.