Basic Summary: Nel and Sula grow up through a lot of problems and have a lot of problems. They become different people and no one likes Sula very much.
Warnings: Lots of talk about suicide, especially in the beginning, and racial tensions. If you are wondering – yes, the n-word is in there.
Review:
Setting
Now, I want to preface this with saying I’ve never lived in a tiny town, but Toni Morrison does such a good job with description and narrative that I felt I’ve been in a town similar to Medallion. Also, even if the author didn’t put the year in the chapters, I feel I could generally know what period this novel takes place in. Also, the community in this novel, the black community when they lived on The Bottom, is so fleshed out. The setting in this novel is so well done. It’s, a lot of times, not a pretty picture but the sense of community and belonging comes up from the page.
Characters
Nel and Sula are the foremost characters of this novel. Their childhood is played out on the page and then later into their adult years. They are fleshed out and you can see why their adult selves are the way they are from watching their childhood. I feel that even if Sula didn’t leave the town, I don’t think she would have changed from the adult she becomes. I feel her going off to college just sharpened her edges a little bit. The side characters were also really well done from Ajax to Helene and most especially Shadrack. Shadrack’s scenes in the beginning shocked me but in the best type of way.
Plot
It could be said that there isn’t much in way of a large overarching plot. I didn’t feel there was one but I also feel it wasn’t needed. The whole story is a biting commentary of this type of town in this time period. The things that Sula’s grandmother does to make money for her family and how The Bottom is this place of poverty with a community that at once wants to take care of one another and is just trying to survive. The main point of conflict is other people’s expectations of you and how those expectations are brought about. Nel followed the expectations and Sula did not. I do wish there was more played out with a few of the conflict points in the novel, however.
Overall
This is the first Toni Morrison book I’ve read but it will certainly not be the last. I encourage people to pick up this book.
May you get lost in a book,
Chrissy