I’ve read Pure Colour twice and then last month reread it again after reading Alphabetical Diaries and now Sheila Heti is one of my fave authors. I first read this advance copy in December and then reread it on audio last month and it’s definitely a book I will reread again. This book is a collection of Heti’s thoughts over ten years arranged alphabetically. I loved the creativeness in this book! These thoughts really stood out to me:

“How much pleasure there is in just sitting around, writing, eating and reading.”
“… it gives me pleasure to eat food I find good, and to eat all day long, and it gives me pleasure to sit comfortably in a chair.”
“…read the books you need to read”

And especially these three thoughts from the R chapter:
“Read a lot of books.”
“Read all day.”
“Really I’m just spending all of my money on books.”

I loved the honesty, joy, desperation and uniquely brilliant writing in this book! Definitely one of my fave 2024 releases!

What a captivating and original format! Heti's musings have always been touching to me, and this mosaic of ideas was so much more effective than I expected. So many little threads connect in ways, whether intentional or not, that leave such an impact. Sheila Heti is brilliant, and this is a book that will be great to pick up and flick through a few random pages at a time. I loved it.

in some ways a memoir and in others entirely fiction, sheila heti put every sentence of her decade of journals into alphabetical order, and selected sentences that tell a story (untethered from a linear narrative) of herself & her personhood, as a way to notice the patterns in her writing & her life. sheila heti's books have been either hits or misses for me, but ultimately i loved this one, even if at times i didn't totally get it. this would have been a book i'd have LOVED to analyze during my english degree, as i think there's a lot here to talk about, specifically in regards to the form of the book. 5 stars!

This was by far Heti’s best work. It showed heart and vulnerability, and a desire to pause and reflect at the past decade. I connected with the voice more than I have in previous works.

I reviewed this from an ARC provided by the publisher and Netgally.

Sheila Heti does it again! Filled to the brim with her signature voice and humour — I’ll read anything she writes, no question. Wish it was 200 pages longer, but I’m grateful for any new writing for Sheila!