Cleanness by Garth Greenwell5/18/2023 In his writing, he is determined to treat raw sexual instincts-“to want something and not question it”-as a major factor in human affairs, dignifying the body’s needs as the first step towards meaningful connection. Mr Greenwell insists that though such passions may be opaque, they should not be marginalised or denied. Like Sofia’s “pearly river”, a drainage ditch that is only called Perlovska on maps, erotic longing is conventionally dressed up as something else. “Who knows why we take pleasure in such things,” the narrator reflects as he seeks out casual liaisons, often with men who are strangers “it’s best not to look into it too closely.” The author’s greatest strength, though, lies in his unblinking exploration of the chemistry of lust and mysteries of desire, both thwarted and exhausted. Light that comes through a restaurant window is muted, “as if steeped in tea”. The wind seems to whisper that “all rootedness was a sham, there were only passing arrangements, makeshift shelters and poor harbours”. Mr Greenwell’s prose has a confiding timbre, alternating between prosaic and lyrical. Still, at its best-and in this book’s finest passages-the genre can be searingly immediate and authentic.
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