Pure Colour

Pure Colour follows Mira, a young woman studying to become an art critic, as she navigates relationships with her father and a fellow student named Annie. The story takes place in a world that exists as God's first draft of creation, where humans embody the spirits of birds, bears, or fish. The narrative centers on Mira's experiences with love and loss, particularly as she processes her father's death. Through her studies at the American Academy of American Critics, Mira encounters new perspectives on art and human connection. Throughout the book, Mira moves between earthly reality and cosmic realms, including a period where she exists as a leaf on a tree. The story tracks her journey through grief, desire, and artistic development. The novel examines fundamental questions about existence, creativity, and human relationships through a blend of realism and metaphysical elements. It presents art criticism as a lens for understanding both personal experience and universal truths about creation itself.

Readers find Pure Colour experimental and philosophical, with some viewing it as profound while others see it as pretentious. The book's unconventional structure and metaphysical elements create sharp divisions in reader responses. Readers appreciated: - Beautiful, poetic language - Fresh perspectives on grief and loss - Unique exploration of art criticism - Moments of humor amid heavy themes Common criticisms: - Meandering, unclear narrative - Too abstract and disconnected - Difficult to follow plot - Characters feel distant and unapproachable Review Scores: Goodreads: 3.5/5 (4,800+ ratings) Amazon: 3.7/5 (180+ ratings) Reader quotes: "Like reading someone else's dream journal" - Goodreads reviewer "Beautiful writing but no coherent story" - Amazon reviewer "Either genius or nonsense, I still can't decide" - LibraryThing review "The leaf section lost me completely" - StoryGraph user The book's experimental nature leads to polarized reviews, with few readers giving middle-ground ratings.

10:04 by Ben Lerner This novel combines philosophical musings about art and time with a story of personal grief, mirroring Heti's blend of metaphysical exploration and emotional narrative.

No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood The book merges internet-age consciousness with profound personal loss through a fragmentary structure that echoes Heti's experimental approach to form.

Little Labors by Rivka Galchen This meditation on motherhood and creation weaves together observations, cultural criticism, and personal experience in short, interconnected segments.

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez The narrative explores grief, art, and human-animal connections through a structure that dissolves boundaries between essay and fiction.

Weather by Jenny Offill The book presents a fragmented chronicle of climate anxiety and personal crisis through philosophical fragments and observations that resist traditional narrative.

🌟 The novel was published in 2022, marking a significant shift from Heti's previous works by incorporating more supernatural and metaphysical elements. 🎨 Sheila Heti worked as an art critic for The London Free Press in her early career, lending authenticity to the protagonist Mira's artistic pursuits. 💫 The book's unique concept of the world being in its "first draft" was partly inspired by Jewish mystical traditions and creation stories. 📚 Despite its experimental nature, Pure Colour was named one of The New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2022. 🍁 Like many of Heti's works, the novel is set in Toronto, where the author has lived most of her life and established herself as a prominent figure in Canadian literature.