Arts & Culture

You know a writer is talented when they can top previous stories with a truly original voice and idea. Heti’s writing is so clever that it’s also hard to give a fair description of her book, but because it’s so inspiring, I’ll do my best.

pure color is written as a parable, a simply told story about deep metaphysical topics. The novel tells the story of a college-aged woman named Mira who goes off to college and navigates her way through self-doubt, hook-up attempts, and side scams, until she dies. loved one.

Within a mythological framework, Mira relies on three categories in which to place humans; fishes (community-oriented people), bears (monogamous introspective types) and birds (free-spirited artists) and sees himself as the latter. From there, its easy gondola-like experience turns into magical realism as Mira attempts to make sense of the meaning of life in what she calls God’s First Draft.

Heti’s novel helped me look at death and life in an entirely new way. Additionally, Mira’s experience with imperfect relationships with her father, as well as her attempts at romantic love, prove the value in striving for reconciliation and even living in the first place.

Pure Color is available now at BookStore1 Sarasota at 117 S. Pineapple Ave. or through their online store at www.sarasotabooks.com. Pure Color by Sheila Heti. Publication date: February 15, 2022 ISBN: 9780374603946.