Pure Colour is a galaxy of a novel: explosive, celestially
bright, huge, and streaked with beauty. It is a contemporary bible,
an atlas of feeling, and an absurdly funny guide to the great (and
terrible) things about being alive. Sheila Heti is a philosopher of
modern experience, and she has reimagined what a book can hold.
Here
we are, just living in the first draft of Creation, which was made by
some great artist, who is now getting ready to tear it apart.
In
this first draft of the world, a woman named Mira leaves home to
study. There, she meets Annie, whose tremendous power opens Mira’s
chest like a portal—to what, she doesn’t know. When Mira is
older, her beloved father dies, and his spirit passes into her.
Together, they become a leaf on a tree. But photosynthesis gets
boring, and being alive is a problem that cannot be solved, even by a
leaf. Eventually, Mira must remember the human world she’s left
behind, including Annie, and choose whether or not to return.