Pip is 23, crippled by student debt, working as a telemarketer and living in an Oakland squat at the outset of Jonathan Franzen’s “Purity.” Smothered by her reclusive mother, who refuses to reveal Pip ...

Jonathan Franzen’s new novel Purity came out this month and is already number two on the New York Times bestseller list. But it’s also been controversial. Purity has been called everything from a ...

Web editor Lizzy Acker does not hate Jonathan Franzen, but dislikes him. Arts and Culture editor Martin Cizmar does not love Jonathan Franzen, but likes him. Both read his new Big Important Book, ...

The book, titled Purity, promises an expansive sprawl and familiar themes, but also a few stylistic experiments. Meanwhile, Texas gears up for a... The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the ...

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