A review by mhazz
Beloved by Toni Morrison

5.0

The loneliness and suffering portrayed in this novel is obviously of a very specific kind, but the loneliness and heartache illustrated in the language used by Toni Morrison is far-reaching and universal. The slow and non-linear unfolding of events is symbolic of Sethe's trauma, as she cannot bear to face her past all at once, therefore "the whole story" becomes known bit by bit. The home is also symbolic as a claustrophobic and post-gothic setting in which love and trauma are almost indistinguishable from each other. The horrors of slavery are what lead to the climatic event of the novel, a heart-wrenching exploration of familial love and the multi-generational connections between mother and daughter. In short, this book made me cry more than once.