Sula by Toni Morrison (audiobook)

 genre: historical fiction

As towns go, Medallion, Ohio, is not much to speak of.  Most folks are happy enough to get away if they can and Sula is lucky enoughto manage it.  When she comes back, though, she seems like too much woman for one small town.  To the best friend she left behind, it feels impossible to bridge the gap and while these two characters are at the heart of this story of womanhood and community, it's even more about the bigger world just beyond Medallion, the promises it makes and the heartache that it stirs up at home.

Tori Morrison is a freaking genius.  Her way with words is incomparable.  It's a sticky and raw story, a look into the guts of life - what we decide we want and what we don't get to choose.  But the language!  The way she paints a picture and doesn't leave the upsetting parts in the shadows - she brings them front and center and dares us to the look at the pain in all its horror.  I listened to the author read this alone aloud and I am so, so glad I did.  Her inflections, her tenderness with these characters, I think it matters.  The plot didn't resonate with me enough to give it five stars but I have yet to be NOT impressed by a Morrison story.