Sula by Toni Morrison

Typically stories set in the early 20th century, particularly those written on black culture in America, have always been challenging to read. Except Morrison’s writing is alluring, which Sula is another remarkable work.

Sula reads like a magnificent jigsaw puzzle rife of hypocrisies, myths and morals. It’s the roaring twenties, and set in rural Medallion, Ohio where a number of tragedies occur. In ‘up from the bottom’ (the black part of town) there was Nel, Sula’s best friend who lived in a fairly respectable home, and Sula raised under a roof with grandmother Eva, mother Hannah, uncle Plum, and a variety of nomads and eccentrics. I struggled however, to keep the people straight, though the characters are well scripted. National Suicide Day, also an integral part of the story, snaked through the tragedies (Chicken Little’s, Hannah’s and Plum’s death in particular) creating a web of both intrigue and cryptic ambiguity. But the part that really got me was Eva's response when asked if she really loved her children. That reply, and the overall story with it, is what makes Morrison’s novels especially redeeming. Highly respected, and of course recommended. (Note: Read 1973 edition)