Love

By Toni Morrison

Morrison is like a magician with words. When I read any of her books I am transported to another time and another place. Her descriptions are so rich that I can become her characters. I can smell the sea, and taste the food. Every emotion of every character weighs on my heart and stays with me after I have turned the last page.

"She was as lonely as a twelve-year old watching waves suck away her sand castle."

Love tells the interwoven stories of six women and their love for one man. Heed, May, Christine, Junior, Vida and L. all share love for Bill Cosey.  They love him in different ways; they love him as husband, father, grandfather, lover, guardian, and friend.

At the time of the story, Bill Cosey has passed away. It is in the memories of these six women that he lives on, and is glorified as a sort of savior. He was the owner and proprietor of a hotel in Up Beach. He created a space in which people could go to celebrate the easier things in life - dancing, music, partying, fishing. He knew everyone and everyone knew and respected him. He had the ability to save a brother from wrongly going to jail, and the heart to support a family who was crippled by disease. The women's memories of Bill are vivid paintings. He was beautiful, he was charming, he was witty, and he was strong. 

Morrison uses a lot of free indirect discourse in her writing, making her reader privy to the inner most thoughts and emotions of her characters. I love this style of writing because it helps me to connect to the characters. A lot of times in Love, Morrison tells a story from one character's perspective, and then later reveals something more about it from another's.  I felt as if I was one of the people in the story; I was often shocked at a revelation and embarrassed that I, too, had judged someone falsely. 

I think that this novel is worthy of a high shelf in the bookcase that is Toni Morrison's remarkable canon. 

♥ Meg xoxo