Toni Morrison is back! A writer of singular talent, her work is always provocative and elegant. However, recent novels such as Love and Paradise haven't quite reached the heights of her masterpieces Song of Solomon, Sula, and Beloved. Well, after reading her newest novel, A Mercy, I am delighted to say that Ms. Morrison is at the top of her game.
A Mercy, like Beloved, focuses on the lives of the most powerless people in society. In Beloved, the action centered on enslaved African-Americans. A Mercy, set a century earlier, explored of the lives of indentured servants—black, white, and Native American-- a dimension of American history of which many readers will be unaware.
A Morrison novel wouldn't be a Morrison novel without a terrible tragedy at its heart. I won't spoil it here, but Florens, the novel's main characters, struggles to mend her spirit, although the act that caused it is the "mercy" of the title. As in Beloved, we see how destructive a mother's love can be.
A Mercy is a short novel, but potent like strong whiskey. Take your time with it, as each sentence packs a wallop and if you don't watch yourself, you'll be hungover when you're done. These characters will haunt you and won't easily let you go.
For the TRUE Morrison fans out there, you can hear her read from A Mercy on NPR.
Or watch a great interview with Charlie Rose here.
--Tayari Jones
imagineatrium.com
Tayari Jones is the author of Leaving Atlanta and The Untelling.
Check her out at tayarijones.com
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