đź“—
Captures something essential about grief: the longing to cram your entire body into a small space and stay there until a lover pulls you out.
I tried reading it almost two years ago and had to stop because it made me so mad. Now I think it’s brilliant and the thing that made me mad the first time is the most important thing in the book.
Heti is best Canadian writer since Munro and will go down as the best ever if she keeps batting this high.
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đź“š
Sheila Heti is one of my favorite novelists. Each new book seems to be a step in a larger literary project, or an expansion of a Heti-ian way of thinking. They break aesthetic ground but are also a pleasure to read. How Should a Person Be is key reading for whatever “modern life” is at this point and Motherhood is a daring examination of choice — her use of I Ching coin tosses as a literary mechanism is breathtaking Her latest is Pure Colour, which moves from a fairy-tale-ish story of young city-dwelling adults into a more abstract mythology of grief, art, nature, and beauty. It can’t be described, which is high praise for writing, and yet it’s seamless and joyous. Almost more a painting than a novel.
Feb 22, 2022
She was alone so she could hear herself thinking. She was alone so she could hear herself living.
About a quarter through this book and I love it so much so far đź’š
Mar 1, 2025
This is my favorite book of all time.
Sheila plays with form in such exciting ways. This book is written almost like a screenplay, it follows the main character Shiela as she tries and fails to be a good friend, artist, lover, etc.
It’s the sort of book that feels conversational and close to home but sets a strange little fire in you that makes you want to do more and be better.
I read it three times last year and keep it by my bedside in case I need reassurance.
Feb 22, 2025
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My favorite song in recent memory.
One I wish I knew about when I went through either of my two breakups.
They both (one more than the other, but both) catalyzed periods of emotional instability, but, crucially, no homicide.
Still, I imagine that anyone who has had their heart broken knows that the song I Am Coming to Paris (To Kill You) is not about going to Paris to kill somebody. It’s about something much worse.
Sep 10, 2024