Reine Farbe

After "How Should We Be?" and "Motherhood," a new work from the thinker of a new femininity. Like all of Sheila Heti's books, this one oscillates between genres. "Pure Color" is a philosophical treatise, a modern fairy tale, and the realistic narrative of a friendship between two young women in difficult times. The premise: God created the world in six days, has been contemplating it for 4.5 billion years with a paintbrush in hand, and wonders if it might not be wiser to embark on a new, better version. Mira, however, is at home in this first world. She categorizes people into bird, fish, and bear beings; she herself is a bird (fleeting, shy), while her friend Annie is a fish (social, engaged, a school animal). Mira's father, who has a strong influence on her, is a (powerfully emotional) bear. His death is something she can hardly come to terms with. A modern fairy tale about the power of love and the end of the world, from one of the most headstrong and surprising writers of our time.