Author: Toni Morrison
Pages: 325
Format: Paperback
Published: September 16, 1987
Publisher: Vintage
View on Goodreads
Date Completed: March 9, 2025
My rating: 
Thoughts
I cannot overstate how surprised I was by this book. I was expecting historical fiction. What I got was horror. Historical horror… Whatever the genre, Toni Morrison is true to form here and pulls no punches.
After Sethe escapes from slavery, she does what she considers humane and kills her own child rather than let her grow up in the horror of slavery. But this act and the spirit of the child haunts her for years to come. When a mysterious woman calling herself Beloved arrives at the home of Sethe and her daughter Denver, Sethe must confront her painful memories and the guilt surrounding her actions.
The non-linear storytelling here offers the reader glimpses into Sethe’s past, gradually piecing together the complexities of Sethe’s past, her trauma, and the impact of slavery on her life and identity.
The characters in this book are really well-developed. Each has their own history, trauma, and voice. The book isn’t super long, but it is very rich in its characters.
Not long after starting this book, I did pause to watch the film. I think I did like the book better, but the movie really helped me to visualize some of the parts of the book that were more fantastical. The film came out in 1998 and starred Oprah Winfrey as Sethe, Danny Glover as Paul D, and Thandie Newton as Beloved. It was directed by Jonathan Demme (of The Silence of the Lambs fame).
Overall, I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars. It’s a wonderful, terrifying, heartbreaking story told by a master storyteller.
