Introduction

“Hate does that. Burns off everything but itself, so whatever your grievance is, your face looks just like your enemy’s.”

In life, Bill Cosey enjoyed the affections of many women, who would do almost anything to gain his favor. In death his hold on them may be even stronger. Wife, daughter, granddaughter, employee, mistress: As Morrison’s protagonists stake their furious claim on Cosey’s memory and estate, using everything from intrigue to outright violence, she creates a work that is shrewd, funny, erotic, and heart wrenching.

My Thoughts

I’ve been in love with Toni Morrison’s writing since junior year of high school when I read Beloved for the first time. I will admit that at 16 I wasn’t really super interested in what Morrison had to say in her novels, but over the years I’ve grown to appreciate her unapologetic blackness in these stories. Sometimes she writes about things that you really just have to be from the culture to understand – and Love was full of that.

As always, Morrison’s books feels like a 3 star read until you get closer to the end and everything starts making sense. I was confused for the majority of this book – as I almost always am. I found the prose VERY hard to follow, and I was more than halfway through before everything started clicking into place. That mostly has to do with Morrison’s non-linear style.

One chapter would be in the present from the perspective of a character that we’ve already been introduced to, and then the next chapter will be set in the past from the perspective of an unnamed character – you won’t even realize who was speaking in that chapter until many chapters later. Part of me wants to say that this style of writing is very wild and chaotic – which, objectively, it is – but it always comes together in the end so I can’t really knock it.

All these critiques aside – Morrison can sure tell a story! I found my blood boiling once the book started addressing familial love and the misunderstandings between generations. You’ve just got to experience it to fully understand the kind of strains one man can put on a family. I can’t even give an easy summary of this book or even describe the characters without giving any major points away – Morrison tackled so much!

I’m glad this was my last February read. I actually recommended it in a “top books to read” list in my school paper and I hope that some students gave it an honest try because it really is about Love when you get to the heart of the matter.

Rating

Overall, I give the book four stars. I couldn’t honestly give it five stars because I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as my other five star reads, but I wouldn’t give it three stars either because I know in my heart that it was a very good book – just not the kind that I’m into reading right now. I know for a fact that this is a book that I’ll come back around to later in life when I can experience it in a different way.