The Beloved

Slave Irons: Collar

By Toni Morrison, New York, Alfred  A. Knopf, 1998

This novel is a searing read.  I had a stomach ache while reading it, and my eyes frequently welled up with tears.  Both the story's content (the personal and collective devastation to African Americans by the institution of slavery) and Morrison's style (a lyrical, fragmentary, and elliptical way of telling her story) are very effective.  I especially like how deeply Morrison understands the work of trauma in shaping memory, forgetting, and identity.  Trauma can be defined by painful memories that intrude in the course of everyday life.  The past is co-present with the Now in a powerful way for trauma victims.  It also engenders, paradoxically, the necessity of forgetting.  This is the best novel I've ever read about American culture.