Beloved

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Beloved
Toni Morrison
1987

The Summary
Beloved primarily tells the story of Sethe, an escaped slave, and recounts the horrors she endured at Sweet Home in Kentucky, the haunting recollections of her dead child, the strained relationship she has with her living daughter Denver, and the mysterious connection she has with a girl who names herself only as Beloved.

The Good
Based loosely on true events in the life of escaped slave Margaret Garner, Toni Morrison weaves a heart-wrenching tale of one woman's attempt to accept and live with - or, better yet, escape - the torments of the past.

It's rough, it's raw, and it's guaranteed to open your eyes on more than a few topics surrounding the treatment of slaves and the suffering endured even after the abolition of slavery.

The Bad
This novel often hops perspectives and backslides into the past, making the divide between characters - and time - a difficult thing to pinpoint.  Additionally, the ambiguity of Morrison's novel can often leave the reader questioning events, rather than acknowledging the impact it was meant to have.

There's no doubt Beloved will make you think twice, but, occasionally, thinking twice may require rereading certain passages to understand the whole context and meaning.

Moreover, Morrison occasionally dabbles modern speech with 19th century slave dialect, which makes Sethe's story a little less than "true-to-life."  Although it appropriately links Sethe's story to the Civil Rights movement and current conflicts, it can occasionally be frustrating to make the distinctions between historical fact and modern embellishment.

The Ugly
Many of the events in Sethe's life are tragic, including the gruesome death of her eldest daughter, the dark history she has with Sweet Home, the awful scars she carries on her back in the shape of a choke cherry tree, and the terrible abuse she faced under the vile Schoolteacher.

Rest assured, you may very well weep for Sethe and her children.  And, if Sethe's story doesn't break your heart, then Beloved's will.