Reading Toni Morrison has been on my list of things to accomplish for quite a while. I'll admit that I picked this up because I was prompted by the various calls to diversify the voices of those we read. I didn't know why Morrison to read so I actually have three, including this one, which was the earliest of the three I picked up.
I was intrigued by the synopsis description of this one and had heard it touted as highly influential by a lot of those who spoke of it. I tend not to rely too heavily on other people's opinions because writing/reading is so subjective, but given the number of people saying it was a great novel, I decided to pick it up.
It's not a novel that I can say I enjoyed, though I have absolutely no regret for reading it. It's more something that you read to gain perspective and to think about rather than reading it just for enjoyment. It's written as the story of Pecola, but it's not written in Pecola's voice, nor does the narrator even follow Pecola most of the time. But there is no doubt that it is her story. It's a story of perspective and perception, and how things are not always as they appear.
We gain the perspective and the back story of numerous characters in the book and get to hear what has led them to the places we know of them in Pecola's story. All the threads lead back to Pecola, which is what makes the novel about her. She is also the focus of the title. The threads of that wrap throughout the book, though it takes to the end before we actually gain the full story. It's a story of turns without being a mystery but makes us aware of how our minds view the world around us, and our perceptions even of ourselves. It's beautifully written and haunting in its truth. I think it will take a bit of time before I've fully digested the implications within this story. I'm interested to know if the other Morrison's I have in my TBR (Song of Solomon and Beloved) will also cause this effect.
#51-2020
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