Pure Colour by Sheila Heti

It is hard to write a review about what this book is about exactly. The one thing that I can say is that it centers on the grief the main character experiences upon losing her father, and it goes into every corner of that emotional experience. There is a touch of the fantastical, in a kind of matter of fact way, the way it happens in a Kazuo Ishiguro book, where it seems possible for a long time before you realize it is not quite possible, and more like fantasy. Then there is a part of it that is deeply spiritual, in an old timey biblical sort of way, and the whole thing has some shape shifting stream of consciousness about it. One review I read said that part of the author’s charm is her knack for coming from as far out of left field as possible, and here she has amped up her unpredictability as far as it can go, and then she proceeds to reel it all back in again. It is charming and lyrical, and it also gives you a lot to think about, especially if you have lost your father or are about to.