‘Purity’: Writer’s latest work is not his best

Jonathan Franzen's latest novel, 'Purity,” presents a puzzle for the reader, and only the author knows how the pieces fit together until late in book. What starts as a fairly straightforward story of a young woman in search of the father she has never known soon becomes a tale of secrets, who controls those secrets, and in what manner they might be put to use.

Franzen uses his story to give voice to his well-documented criticism of the Internet and the ways our lives have become, in his view, abjectly dependent on it. At the center of the story is The Sunlight Project, operated by Andreas Wolf, an East German who becomes a purveyor of secrets and leaks in the Internet age. Wolf is, as his name suggests, a predator, whose public persona is charismatic and popular. When one of Wolf's burgeoning friendships becomes a rivalry, the mechanism of the plot's puzzle is set in motion.

Readers may find themselves troubled by Franzen's portrayal of women in 'Purity.” The primary female characters struggle with mental illness, sexual dysfunction, or both. Indeed, Purity Tyler, who in the early going seems to be the novel's protagonist but is instead a pawn in a battle between men, is largely defined by her inability to successfully complete various sexual encounters.

In truth, Franzen's men hardly fare any better. In thrall to troubled and troubling women, they wreak havoc on the lives of other and in doing so, upend their own lives. But the men are given more agency. They make terrible choices, but they seem better equipped to make choices at all.

Over the years (and due to or in spite of various odd public pronouncements and decisions), Franzen has made a name for himself built a strong readership. In general, I enjoy his work, but I would recommend reading 'The Corrections” or 'Freedom” rather than 'Purity.”