Love the book, not the man behind it: Purity

Purity, Jonathan Franzen

Fast Facts

• An engrossing, literary, suspenseful novel by an acclaimed author that many love to hate
• Purity "Pip" Tyler's search to find her father, crossed with an Assange/Snowden composite, mixed with an international murder mystery, with scenes reminiscent of Dexter and The Secret History and Crime and Punishment 
• 576 pages
• Hard to say whether I loved Purity as much as Freedom or The Corrections, but I pre-ordered this and based on how quickly I burned through it and enjoyed it, I will continue to pre-order whatever novel Franzen comes out with next
• Fast page-turner with great, complex, screwed-up, "real" characters and a well-paced plot
• Too much ridiculous sex and masturbation - one of my only critiques
• Worth the hype and the time investment 

Love the Book, Not the Man Behind It

I am a Franzen novel fan. That's not to say I am a Franzen fan, because from any interview I've read or listened to with him, he sounds boring, snobby or egotistical, and unlike many novelists, I don't think I'd want to sit down with him for a cup of coffee.  Nor do I think I would want to sit down with many of his screwed up characters for a cup of coffee, because he often makes them blatantly unlikeable.

But I have to give the devil his due - Jonathan Franzen know how to tell a great, captivating story. Say what you will about the man or his chosen subjects, about his weird birding obsession or his preoccupation with sex, Franzen is a terrific writer.  The kind of writer who makes you miss your train stop on multiple occasions because you were just so riveted.

I loved Purity, and am left with a similar feeling to the one I had about Freedom, where I'm just so glad that Franzen and his skill for weaving a narrative exists, despite how unpleasant his characters can be at times.  I vaguely recall loving The Corrections this much, too, though enough years have passed since I read it that I can barely remember the plot points.

Some Plot, Without Giving Too Much Away 

Heroine Pip, an early-twenty-something raised by a single mother, living in a hipster share house in Oakland, and working at a soulless company that uses fear of climate change to capitalize on taxpayer credits, is looking for love and becoming a grownup and searching for her unidentified father.  Opportunity presents itself to Pip in the form of Andreas Wolf, a charismatic German who uses Snowden-Assange-type Internet leaks and investigations to rise to prominent celebrity.

To share more would take away some of the fun of diving into this book.  Suffice it to say that the paternal search is peppered with intrigue, sex, murder, and tales from California, East Germany, Bolivia, Denver, and Texas that are all deliciously connected.

Far-Fetched Elements, Anchored by Real Relationships

Terry Gross asked Franzen about the way he tackles relationships in his novels, and some of the realities of the human condition that he expresses so well, despite never having experienced them personally.

For example, the conversations between Pip and her mother felt so true and so raw that I kept getting a lump in my throat.  How does this middle-aged, childless male bird watcher seem know or feel all the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship?  How did Clelia's escape from East Germany and ultimate disappointment with her American savior feel so striking?  The electricity and toxicity of Anabel and Tom felt particularly bitter and charged - Franzen, apparently a divorcee, had personal material to draw on for at least this relationship, and also for the healthier partnership that followed.

These relationships and emotions keep a grounded feeling of reality, even when other elements stretch the bounds of imagination.  Slate did a funny spoiler recap ranking some of the sex scenes in the novel by their plausibility.  These scenes are only the tip of the iceberg on plot points that are fantastical, related to the Bolivian Sunlight Project, to stealing files from the Stasi and keeping a murder file under wraps, to the billion dollar disappeared heiress, to a suicide that looks like murder, to identities hidden for decades, to stolen fake nuclear weapons, and more.

Caveat 

Aside from some of the more off-the-wall, unbelievable parts of the story, I have one more caveat - while I enjoyed almost all of the latest Franzen tome, I have to say that this author really is a dirty old man.  I have never read a book so obsessed with masturbation.  One character can only orgasm during the full moon.  Another character's self-pleasuring seems to take up 50 pages, culminating in that character jumping off a low bridge in order to break an ankle so as to - yes - open up even more time for masturbation.  That's pretty funny, but at a certain point, enough is enough.  The fixation detracted from an otherwise high-brow, intellectual, interesting and fun book not just by getting too smutty and uncomfortable, but by being repetitive and boring.

A Definite Recommendation

What I want from a novel is an enthralling story with extraordinary elements, but with characters who feel like real, empathetic, and at times likable people who you can root for on their paths to achieving their hopes and goals.  I rooted for Pip and Leila and Tom, and was fascinated by the chance to be in Andreas' brain, uncomfortable though that was. 

There was enough mystery to keep me hooked, and Franzen's mastery of language and narrative are fairly unparalleled.  My complaints were minor given that overall, this is a novel that is truly entertaining, with just the right amount of challenge and emotional heft.

Must read, despite the title: The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace

The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, Jeff Hobbs

Fast Facts

• My Newark reading streak continues in a fast-forward from World War II-era, polio stricken Philip Roth to the gang and drug-infested, struggling, impoverished Newark of the 1980's, 90's and 2000's, scene of post-race riot political corruption
• 432 pages
• Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant
• One of the most memorable, haunting, educational, and impressive books I've read in ages
• The cover is a spoiler - a young man who left Newark for the Ivy League, but died too soon - but the story of community and self-realization and exploration is much greater and more humanizing than the pithy title would suggest
• The rare book you'll read with the power to change your perception of the world
• Please overlook the irritating title (and sometimes irritating author) and buy two copies immediately - one for yourself, and one for someone compassionate and intelligent that you respect

The Joy of Getting to Know Rob Peace

I can't emphasize enough how much I wish the title and marketing of this book were different.  The story is about a man growing up in impossible circumstances, achieving remarkable feats, and ultimately being felled by his own talents and environment and deep-rooted connections.  Bringing the ending to the forefront does the author's work in telling this complex story a disservice.

Yes, Rob Peace smoked and sold and eventually manufactured his own marijuana product as a means of relaxation and dissociation and in order to seek financial stability mobility for himself and his loved ones.  Yes, he died as a result of his decision to do these things, and also because of where he was born and raised and lived.  But these facts do not tell the whole story.

This man had been a boy who worked tremendously hard as he attended schools that his mother could only afford with backbreaking work in food services at hospitals.  He ate ketchup packets for sustenance, and took care of his ailing grandmother, and excelled at water polo.  He was a genius and had natural curiosity about the world and all the people he came across, people from varied backgrounds who became his close friends.  He scored incredibly high on tests and majored in molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale, and joined one of its prestigious secret societies.  He essentially served as his father's appellate legal counsel following a double murder trial.  He was a world traveler, a ladies' man, a science teacher, a baggage handler at Newark International Airport, and a devoted friend and family member.  Who wouldn't want to know this man?

Jeff Hobbs, Nerdy Yale Roommate

I couldn't help but feel jealous of the author for his relationship with Rob, and also a bit confused by their friendship.  You have to watch this video of Jeff Hobbs speaking at Politics and Prose.  He just looks like someone who doesn't get much sunlight, whereas Rob walked with ease through so many worlds.

How were these two such close friends?  A testament to Rob's ability to befriend anyone, from any background, surely, and also Hobbs' open-mindedness.  Hobbs' regret for being so removed from the last several years of his friend's life, essentially from Yale graduation until his death, is palpable - they seem to have only seen one another a couple of times in 8 years, after spending countless hours in dorm rooms.

But as sheltered and self-consumed as Hobbs comes across in the book, he also has extraordinary self-awareness.  He knows that he is telling Rob's story from a privileged vantage point, and works doubly hard to avoid stereotypes and delve into the truth of Rob's background, surroundings, and motivations.  The story is meticulously researched, and it is clear that Hobbs' hard work has paid off in a remarkable end product.

So Powerful It Won't Wear Off

It has taken me weeks to sit down and write about this book.  It isn't just the sprint to squeeze the most out of dwindling summer that has kept me from writing this post - I've been waiting to finish processing Rob Peace, waiting for some of the potency and sting of this story to subside.  I can safely say that the aftertaste of this book just isn't going away any time soon.

A short life and a tragic ending don't define a person, and it's clear that Rob Peace was a fascinating, warm, and complicated person who was raised and lived in a difficult place.  As much as any reader knows about him after finishing the book, there is a strong sense that there is so much more to Rob, and so much more you wish you could know.  His death was a terrible loss for society, and the ability to read his story a regrettable gain.