Purple State
Dana Perino
HarperCollins Publishers
The elevator pitch is pretty simple. Purple State revolves around the lives, loves, hopes, and dreams of three uptown 20-something singles: PR pro Dot Clark, fledgling attorney Mary Russo, and school teacher Harper Adler.
When Dot is offered an unexpected, yet auspicious gig working on a national presidential campaign, she convinces her two longtime Big Apple besties to join in on her ten-month relocation adventure that takes the trio from the hustle and bustle of big city Manhattan to the slow and easy small town of Cedar Falls, Wisconsin.
Purple State is, overall, a likable story, one driven by a menagerie of attractive Hallmark-style characters, with such dashing and delightful names as Fletcher Abbott, Cal Ashby, Kitty Bell, and Bailey Bickle. That last one is just so gosh darn fun to say. And I’d wager a bet that it will resonate best with a 20-to-30-something female audience. Fortunately, in this case, I’m not like the other boys. Hence, I glided through the lip-glossed rom-com with the ease of the savviest Sephora shopper.
Along the way, Perino’s consistent attention to detail remains exhaustive, especially in terms of revealing female fashion details, e.g., “Mary was wearing a short, hot pink and white gingham dress with skinny shoulder straps, white wedge sneakers, and a light pink crossbody bag.” She also keeps one thumb placed firmly on the pulse of current culture with extensive references to Instagram, influencers, and podcasts, as well as emojis, apps, and AirPods. Even super-sexy, real-life, modern-day pop stars, including Harry Styles, Sabrina Carpenter, and Greg Gutfeld, find their way into Perino’s fictional world.
Purple State succeeds in presenting an appealing portrait of the fictional Cedar Falls. Truth be told, if the quaint Wisconsin community were a real town, I’d definitely move there — rich Americana history, friendly folks, and fun local businesses with such clever names as the Flour Power bakery and the Sin Bin sports bar, as well as the popular eateries; Second Cup Café, Brew and Chew, Roasted Rooster, and my personal favorite, Buddha Bootie.
Perino’s writing is often humorous and Schick-sharp (e.g., “Marissa chimed in with a mouth full of snark”). Her writing also comes across as genuine and objective. Despite being Krazy Glued to a “red” vs. “blue” political backdrop, the story feels “purple” — decidedly non-partisan — as it treads more often than not on the characters’ common ground. And therein lies the Purple State payoff: it’s simply about people, unlikely people from drastically different walks of life, all connecting, and pursuing honest and pure relationships — with each other.
In sum, at a time when the world has become an absolute dumpster fire as a result of raging, often violent conflicts over myriad hot-button social, environmental, and political issues, Purple State is a bona fide feel-good. And not a moment too soon…
