Purity by Jonathan Franzen

Purity by Jonathan Franzen is a sweeping literary novel about identity, family secrets, politics, the internet, love, and the search for truth in a complicated modern world.

Purity “Pip” Tyler is a young woman living in an Oakland commune, burdened by student debt and unanswered questions about her father. A chance encounter leads her to the Sunlight Project, an international organization devoted to exposing political and corporate wrongdoing. There she becomes entangled with its charismatic founder, Andreas Wolf, whose past in East Germany is as complex as the secrets surrounding Pip’s own family.

Moving from California to East Berlin, Bolivia, and Denver, the novel explores hidden identities, radical politics, journalism, obsession, wealth, and betrayal.

Ambitious, darkly funny, and emotionally layered, Purity is a strong choice for readers who enjoy contemporary literary fiction and complex character-driven novels.

Hardcover, Very Good