In remarkable works of fiction such as The Corrections and Freedom, Jonathan Franzen has become one of today’s defining literary voices. His fifth novel, Purity, now in paperback and soon to be a Showtime series, showcases his abiding concern with family as well as his signature dual focus on large issues—nuclear weapons, mass surveillance—and personal concerns.

Purity, aka Pip, is squatting with anarchists in Oakland as she struggles with crushing student loans and the mystery of who her father is. A WikiLeaks-like organization seems to offer solutions to both these problems, and as Pip gets involved with former East Germans, the Stasi, a Bolivian-jungle hideout, and a huge cast of idealists and rebels, she and her world are changed forever. Book signing to follow.