Cleanness

Cleanness

In the highly anticipated follow-up to his beloved debut, What Belongs to You, Garth Greenwell expands his exploration of foreignness, obligation, and desire Sofia, Bulgaria, a landlocked city in southern Europe, stirs with hope and impending upheaval. Soviet buildings crumble, wind scatters sand from the far south, and political protesters flood the streets with song. In this atmosphere of disquiet, an American teacher navigates a life transformed by the discovery and loss of love. As he prepares to leave the place he’s come to call home, he grapples with the intimate encounters that have marked his years abroad, each bearing uncanny reminders of his past. A queer student’s confession recalls his own first love, a stranger’s seduction devolves into paternal sadism, and a romance with another foreigner opens, and heals, old wounds. Each echo reveals startling insights about what it means to seek connection: with those we love, with the places we inhabit, and with our own fugitive selves. Cleanness revisits and expands the world of Garth Greenwell’s beloved debut, What Belongs to You, declared “an instant classic” by The New York Times Book Review. In exacting, elegant prose, he transcribes the strange dialects of desire, cementing his stature as one of our most vital living writers.
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eris@eris
4.5 stars
May 3, 2024
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Jenny Qian@jenqian
3 stars
Apr 16, 2024
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Rosa@inthemoodforlove
3.75 stars
Mar 25, 2024
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𓆨@viridiantre
2 stars
Mar 14, 2024
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JoAnna@lilipuddingdog
5 stars
Feb 21, 2024
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Jamie Trenholm@jamietren
4 stars
Feb 23, 2022
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Laura@lastblues13
3 stars
Aug 28, 2021
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Elou@h0jia
3 stars
Jan 8, 2024
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Miguel@augustimely
3 stars
Jan 7, 2024
Photo of m.
m.@marble
4.5 stars
Jul 12, 2023
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Christopher Malarick@y2kwasaninsidejob
5 stars
Aug 23, 2022
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Kristina Bonitz@kristinabonitz
4 stars
Aug 14, 2022
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Kwan Ann Tan@kwananntan
4 stars
Jun 13, 2022
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Gelaine Trinidad@gelaine
3 stars
Jul 5, 2024
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Neta Harris@giggy
5 stars
Jul 4, 2024
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Cullen Bounds@cwillbounds
4 stars
Sep 13, 2023
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Andrea Rosen@andrearo
2 stars
Apr 14, 2023
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Peter S@lange
4 stars
Nov 11, 2022
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Hellboy TCR@hellboytcr009
3 stars
Oct 18, 2022
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Jacob Mishook@jmishook
5 stars
Oct 16, 2022
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Rikke Lohse@rikkel
2 stars
Sep 6, 2022
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Rikke Lohse@rikkel
2 stars
Sep 6, 2022
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Pedro Assis Cadavez@pedrocadavez
4 stars
Aug 16, 2022
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Dweedle @dw33dle
3 stars
Aug 16, 2022

Highlights

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m.@marble
Page 168
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m.@marble
Page 185
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m.@marble
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m.@marble
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m.@marble
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m.@marble
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m.@marble
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m.@marble
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m.@marble
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Kristina Bonitz@kristinabonitz
Page 135
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Kristina Bonitz@kristinabonitz
Page 125
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Kristina Bonitz@kristinabonitz
Page 122
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Kristina Bonitz@kristinabonitz
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Kristina Bonitz@kristinabonitz
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