Beloved by Toni Morrison

My favorite book is Beloved by Toni Morrison. I have read the novel three times now, and everytime I read it I discover new reasons to fall in love with it again.

Morrison's novel is very dense, so it isn't one I would recommend for someone seeking a quick and easy read. But if you are willing to put in the work to get through the novel and truly be engaged with the text, the reward is well worth the effort.

The novel tells of a former slave who killed her baby daughter rather than allow her to be returned to a life of slavery. Morrison based the story on a factual account, but she fictionalizes details and a community's response to such an event.

The central event of the novel is the murdered baby's return as an adult to her mother's home. This situation is never actually explained, but we are led to believe that the ghost of the child has been somehow made flesh, and she is reunited with her mother and sister.

This return proves disastrous for the family and community, but the path to accepting the past and possibility of a future without the pain of the past is shown to be one filled with hope and strength.

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