I felt as if this book were speaking to me privately and intimately, about private joys and private melancoly. I fell into a profound sense of being in a personal conversation with what I was reading on the page. I felt reminded of what I should be paying attention to in my life--both in my big life--what it's all about--and in the small daily moments--what beauty there is to be found in them. The book worked on a pre-semantic level in me, where the meanings were deeper than words. I can't remember reading a book that accomplished this with such ease, such joy. My deep thanks to Sheila Heti for trusting the person inside her who told her to write this book.

I want this review to be taken with a huge grain of salt as I've come to realize this strain of high brow, verbose literary fiction is just not for me anymore. I used to want to love stuff like this and I've read a couple titles I can compare this to that I had a better time with. I think if you're a fan of Ali Smith then you'd love this. I've read the Seasonal Quartet last year and the novelty of that project wore off for me with Summer, but if you love beautiful poetic writing, abstract descriptions and concepts, and characters that function more as symbols and vehicles for points to be made rather than being fully realized humans then you will eat this book up.

It simply was not for me. I was initially intrigued by the idea of a literary novel delving into the idea of this world being God's first draft and everything eventually being swept clear and life starting over. This book also deals with art criticism, grief, and young love. This book totally has an audience, but I'm not in that crowd. If you're interested it's definitely worth checking out. My kindle told me it only took about three hours to read this, so it's a quick read.

4.5 stars

I am grateful to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for sending me an advanced copy of this book for review.

This was an absolutely stunning introduction to this author. I had never read anything from Sheila Heti before, but something about the synopsis of this book really pulled me in and I am so glad that I read it. This book is about human connection, grief, and uncertainties in everyday relationships. We follow a character as she is faced with understanding who she is, and what her purpose is in life after someone she is loved has passed away.

The writing was deeply philosophical, while also being relatable and moving. The imagery that the author used to describe emotional turmoil and the struggle to find an anchor and achieve some semblance of stability was perfect. I found so much of this story to be personally moving, and so many of the experiences described in this book to be familiar.

The author did a great job of presenting us with just as much information as we needed, while still maintaining somewhat of a distance between us and the characters who populate this story. This mirrors the distance our main character feels to the people that she encounters. Even from the very beginning, (view spoiler) These behaviors set the tone for her character and the problems with connecting with others throughout the story. I found the main character to be intriguing, layered, and endearing.

This is a very short book that packs a lot between its few pages, and I think many people can enjoy it. I recommend this to readers of poetry and emotional literature.

Overall an enjoyable reading experience. There were a few moments that I got lost in the text, but by the end I came back and really liked this unique book

This book was mesmerizing through and through. Part gentle love story, part meditation on grief, and part art philosophy, Pure Colour is a book I will be thinking about for a long time. In fact, by the halfway point, I knew it was a book I would want to annotate and reread, so I went ahead and preordered a physical copy. I look forward to exploring more of Heti's previous work and reading whatever she publishes next.

A delightfully odd read that demands to be read on its own terms. Don't go in with expectations and you'll be pleasantly surprised in my experience. This book strives to be quite philosophical and approaches it in a rather blatant way—which isn't a bad thing, just one worthy of remark. There is some gorgeous prose and a lovely spin on stream-of-consciousness narration.

This novel is quite unique and difficult to summarize with justice. Read it.

This book was unlike anything I've ever read, I loved it so much. While I found the writing to be beautiful, it was also very philosophical and thought-provoking. It was my first time reading Sheila Heti and it left me absolutely ecstatic to pick up more of her work!

I'm not even sure where to begin with reviewing this. I loved it, but I also feel like I need at least one more pass to fully understand it. Pure Colour is mystical, fantastical, wild. It is my first exposure to Heti and I was not fully prepared for her intelligence. Her writing reminds me a lot of Cusk, but even more pared down and spare despite encompassing huge ideas. I loved the intersection of art and life throughout the book. Definitely not a book everyone will enjoy but right up my alley.

I think it's time to accept that whilst the broad overarching ideas of Sheila Heti's fiction appeal to me somewhat in the abstract, the resulting novels are just not my cup of tea.

For one thing I should have taken the descriptions of the "contemporary bible" element in the blurb more seriously: there are a lot of mentions of God, which is obviously fine if that's your kind of thing but unfortunately it's not mine. I've never been a particular fan of novels with themes that are religion-heavy (just a personal preference), and the whole "second go at creation" plot point and idea of the protagonist Mina having her dead father's soul inside her didn't really work for me -- neither did the descriptions that it had been "ejaculated into her". Oh, and the author gets stuck inside the leaf of a tree at one point as well. (Yes, I'm aware that I should've read the blurb more carefully instead of getting sucked in by the pre-publication hype.)

This is quite an experimental and free flowing narrative, bouncing between ideas. That said, the chapters are short and snappy and it's accessible, making for a quick read. I don't regret my time reading it but I'd venture that it's not a book that'll be for everyone.

Toronto author Sheila Heti may not exactly be a household name, but she is well known as a force to be reckoned with in Canadian literature circles. Her list of achievements is about as long as her arm. For instance, one of her books — How Should a Person Be? — was named by New York magazine as one of the “New Classics of the 21st Century.” New York Times book critics named her one of the “New Vanguard” and chose her book Motherhood as a Best Book of 2018. Heti’s novels have been translated into 24 languages, and she was the former Interviews Editor of The Believer magazine. It should be noted that Motherhood, as well, made the shortlist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, a major Canadian literary award. Thus, Heti is something of a national Canadian treasure who has made a lasting contribution to the arts. Thus, it is with a sad longing in my heart that I must admit that her latest novel, Pure Colour, is something of a hot mess. While it is a short read, which might be the best thing it has going for it, this book that touches on everything from God to grief to fatherhood to art criticism is an intellectual jumble that is probably best described as being “experimental for the sake of being experimental.” There is little joy to be had here as a reader.

Normally, in my book reviewing template that I’ve set up, I use the second paragraph of my reviews to talk a little bit about the plot and what a given book is about. It’s hard to do that with Pure Colour, not only because it is so short, but because it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. The book starts off by acknowledging that God is about to do a second draft of Earth and eliminate all that has come before. Then we’re introduced to three characters: Mira (from whose point of view the story is told), Annie (with whom Mira is in love), and then a male character who doesn’t really have much of a purpose here, alas, other than to be a student along with Mira and Annie at art criticism school. (I’ve already forgotten the name of this individual.) There is very little dialogue in the book, and what dialogue there is comes from an art criticism professor at the beginning of the read. Then, we’re transported to a chapter where Mira’s father is dying, and then enters (or, as Heti puts it, ejaculates) into Mira’s body. (Ick!) And then the reader is transported to a chapter where Mira and the spirit of her father are trapped in a tree leaf (and what kind of tree is never divulged), only to be rescued by Annie, who, it turns out, doesn’t seem to reciprocate the love Mira has for Annie. And on and on it goes.

The thing about Pure Colour is that this is supposed to be an academic and intellectual book, but everything, including the story, is so paper-thin that the book is at risk of literally collapsing on itself. This is just one long, pointless stream-of-consciousness read that, in the end, doesn’t wind up making a whole lot of sense. Pure Colour is ponderous and boring. I know that Heti, as an author, is someone who thinks outside the box — Motherhood was told, in part, with conversations the author had with I Ching divination. And since Motherhood was all about Heti — who was writing semi-autobiographically in the context of fiction — trying to decide whether she had the wherewithal to give birth to someone, it’s peculiar that Pure Colour is obsessed about the relationships daughters have with fathers. It’s also obsessed with God, and the conclusion that the book ultimately makes is that there is no God. Or is there? Heti kind of fumbles things here by introducing doubt into an atheist equation.

I will be polite and say that even horrible books have good things to say about them. I suppose I can say that Heti is creative and original in her writing here. She’s obviously trying to go beyond narrative convention and create something daring and unique. However, I just found Pure Colour to be above my pay grade when it came to understanding it. I’m not sure what the ultimate point of the narrative is or what the short novel is trying to say. It’s just one diversion after another, with no sense of linking one thought to other thoughts. As a result, Pure Colour is a puzzle box of a book that appears to have pieces missing. You can feel free to disagree with me in the comments section, but I feel it is part of the job of a book critic to tell potential readers when the emperor is wearing no clothes. Well, Heti is practically naked here. She really seems to be annoyed with the minor male character she introduces at the front of the read, and the only man to be remotely appealing in the book is Mira’s father — and, even then, there seems to be some discomfort that Mira has with this character. All in all, Pure Colour is a complete washout. There’s very little here to recommend unless untangling complicated plots in small books are your cup of proverbial tea. Sheila Heti might be a bright star in the landscape of Canadian literature; all Pure Colour exists to do, alas, is tarnish it. This is pure intellectual dross, if you ask me, and should probably be avoided at all costs by readers who take pleasure from reading. I’m sorry to say it because Heti has shown she has talent elsewhere, but Pure Colour earns a complete pass from me.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Literary Fiction

The synopsis of the book says that “Pure Color is a galaxy of a novel, explosive, celestially bright, huge, and streaked with beauty.” I couldn’t agree more with this statement. This is a truly exquisite story. It is the story of a girl named Mira, her relationship with her father, her lover Annie, and how she copes with losing her father. But that is just the tiny surface. It is much deeper than that.

The story is very weird in all the right ways. From the first chapter, I knew this was going to be a 5-star book for me. Something about the flow of the story keeps you engaged and focused. The author’s writing is so beautiful. Weirdness and beauty when are combined give such a magnificent result. The broad idea of the story is that what if the world that we are living in right now is just a draft of a better world that God is making? It questions many things like existence, life, death, loss of a love or relative in all the weirdest ways. It has to do a lot about spirituality.

The writing is philosophical, metaphorical, and biblical. It is a fast and easy to read book, but I found myself pausing and thinking a lot about what was happening. This is like when you have delicious cuisine and you want to take your time to chew and taste it thoroughly in your mouth before swallowing it. I felt that way exactly. I don’t think my review or any other review would give this book the justice it deserves. I have a strong feeling this will be shortlisted for the Booker prize this year. I’d love to read more of Sheila Heti’s books in the future.

Many thanks to the publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.

I had trouble getting into Heti's work. I think with this work, she has truly come into her own as a writer and an incredibly interesting voice!

A delightful and particular novel about identity and relationships full of casual absurdities. For fans of Akwaeke Emezi, Pik-Sheun Fung, and Mary Rueful.

This was honestly one of my most anticipated books of the year and it honestly didn’t disappoint. Reading Pure Colour gave me the same experience that I had when I first read Outline by Rachel Cusk, which was just amazement over the writing and how a person could actually write as well as this. The only reason why it is not getting the full five stars is the fact that I genuinely do not think that I am smart enough to fully understand and grasp this book. Definitely, a book worth a read and it truly changed the way I view what good writing is.

Thank you to Netgalley as well as Farrar, Straus and Giroux for sending me an advanced copy

There have been so many well received books dealing with grief of losing a parent, but of all those I've read, this most closely reminded me of Helen MacDonald's H is for Hawk and Cheryl Strayed's Wild. In all three, there is a return to nature to gain insight on the relationship and gather strength to continue with life. Sheila Heti was already working on Pure Colour when her father died, "With a few people in one's life too much happens emotionally ...". She was in the process of ruminating about color, the importance of art in life when her focus took a turn and she became intrigued with the peace of death as opposed to the churning quality of ongoing life. "She had thought that when someone died, it would be like they went into a different room." With the realization that so long as she was infused with her father's spirit, he was tethered to this sphere. So there is this not quite fictional account of the importance of culture to the living, enhanced by lifelong lessons through her father and her artist grandfather that inform Heti's works. Although there is a metafictional aspect to this piece, it is more of a spiritual journey, a beautiful, thought provoking one at that.

Oh sigh- I'm going to be the one to admit that she lost me. I know I'm meant to take something from this experimental novel but what? It's a fable of sorts but it's also a philosophical discussion among itself (I know, but, really). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fans of literary fiction should give it a try.

Sheila Heti is perfect and can do no wrong in my eyes.

This book is an experiment, magic, an experience, a world, a universe, poetry, a song, air, love, death, a spark, that perfect bite of your favorite food, a perfect rose, a thorn, the sea.

It's weird. It's wonderful. It's pure Heti.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book in advance of its release.

This book is really beautiful and optimistic and strange. This helped me realize that my true dream is to have my spirit sucked into a leaf. Really nice…

What initially drew me to this book was the concept of this world being God's first draft. However, while the author's musings on the human condition and life in general were beautiful and interesting, but the combination of the abstractly lyrical prose and meandering thought processes did not hold my interest, even though I wish it had.

What an interesting, odd, thoughtful novel…a quick read with uneven chapters and several numbered “parts” as well. My first by this author, I appreciated the cleverness and originality in the writing style and thought the prose itself was lovely. It fell short for me in terms of the characters to whom I was ambivalent. Perhaps it was also too long? I related to and felt the earnestness in the character’s feelings after her loss and yet it felt a bit muddled and verbose, at times. Sincere gratitude to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for the advanced copy.