Purity and what does it mean to be good?

Someone recently questioned my feminist credentials, when I picked up Jonathan Franzen’s new novel, Purity. Upon further investigation, I found out my cross-examiner was harboring the book as well.

I understand the critiques against Franzen. His characters are often feminist or not feminist. And they’re equally annoying or complex. But I like that feminism takes on different shades of dark and is fully dimensioned in his work.

The other criticism is that when Franzen writes about family relationships and friendships with emotional depth, he’s applauded for his great wisdom. When women write about the same subjects, they are relegated to “chick lit.”