Super Short Summary

Cleanness by Garth Greenwell follows an unnamed American teacher living in Sofia, Bulgaria, exploring his personal and professional life through standalone, anachronistic chapters that together form a coherent narrative. The novel features his mentoring a young male student, his involvement in consensual sadomasochistic relationships, and his romantic relationship with a man referred to as R. Topics include the impacts of trauma, sadomasochism, and societal stigmatization of LGBTQ+ relationships.