Beloved, Toni Morrison

Beloved is one of the best books of fiction of the twentieth century I have read. To me, it ranks in the top five. Morrison is likely the best practicing literary author of the present day. Her tale of the haunting of Sethe by Beloved is both riveting and vivid. Her perspective on slavery, even presented in the most positive light is unforgettable. Her compassion and understanding of the depths of the human heart are unsurpassed. I will never forget the image of Sethe's tree, Beloved's last appearance on the porch, the murder of the next to last Sweet Home men, or the sweetness of Sethe's white rescuer along the Ohio river. Morrison touches on and reinforces the sovereignty of God in the choice of life and death, reinforces the mercy of God and the power of prayer in the climax. She fills the book fully with metaphor that transcends the individual words of her art. She leaves us with an experience that the sentient reader will not - and can not forget.