Confession time: Up until last week, I’d never read anything by Toni Morrison. The reason? She’s one of those authors who held a strong intimidation factor for me, a writer whose works I thought I wouldn’t fully understand and therefore not enjoy.
So it was with some anxiety that I put her latest novel, A Mercy, as one of the possible choices for my library book club to read, and it was with some surprise when I saw that they actually chose it as one of their selections. Was I the only one scared to read her books? Apparently so.
Well, I was quite relieved to discover that my fears were all for naught. It did take me a few pages to get into the flow of the book, and quite possibly there were nuances that eluded me, but I did really enjoy myself and am not only open to reading more of her work, but eager to do so.
A Mercy, set in colonial America in 1686, is told from the point of view of Florens, a young slave girl, with accounts from others in her life – her reluctant owner, a Dutch farmer named Jacob and his wife, Rebekka, their servants, Nina, a Native American whose village was decimated by smallpox; and Sorrow, a woman with an unusual background to complement her peculiar name. Living on the fringes of the wilderness, beyond the pale of colonial society (such as it was), these people, particularly the women, cobble together a codependent yet precarious existence.
The first thing that struck me about the book was how the language had a lyrical quality and read like a piece of poetry rather than a traditional novel. Some of the book club members couldn’t get into the book for that reason, but for me, that was part of its appeal. Another aspect that some of the book club folks took issue with was the use of multiple points-of-view, but I have come to find that I quite enjoy reading books utilizing this technique, because it gives a much more holistic view of the lives and situation of the various characters, rather than just seeing everything through one person’s viewpoint. It is only Florens who is given a direct voice, however; the others are all written by the omniscient third-person narrator, with the exception of the final chapter.
Coming in at a slim 176 pages, Morrison deftly weaves together so many elements it would take other writers several hundred pages to adequately convey: life in the New World, slavery, issues of class and the roots of racism, indentured servitude, women’s lives in the 17th century, religious intolerance, love, and grief. But she fits all of these apects in – and more – without shortchanging the characters or the reader. The events leading up to the end shocked me more than the actual denouement, but it was no less powerful for being expected, and gave greater resonance to the story. Don’t let its size fool you; there’s much to savor and digest in this sumptuous feast of a book.
I recommend the Bluest Eye, which is my favorite of her novels. It is her first (and most approachable, in my opinion). I wrote my honors thesis on it in college.
Thanks for the recommendation, Stephanie! I’ll have to add it to my TBR list.
I think that the two things you cite as reasons you enjoy the book are hallmarks of Morrison’s work. Beloved can be a little intimidating (particularly the one (short) chapter with no punctuation), but its payoff is well worth it. I hope you’ll read and enjoy more of her work.
That is good to know and bodes well for me enjoying her other works. I definitely plan to read more by her!
I read this one earlier this year and also really loved it! I haven’t read a ton of Morrison (this was only my second book by her), but I find her writing immensely powerful and breathtaking. I do think this one was more accessible than Song of Solomon, but even that wasn’t terribly intimidating. I’m glad you were able to finally embrace this author!
Thanks, Steph! I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book and have been recommending it to my coworkers.
I haven’t read Toni Morrison in a while and I haven’t read A Mercy, but I do recommend her book, Beloved. When I first read it, I was in high school and I didn’t really get it. When I was assigned to read it again in college, it was so much better. The style that you enjoy in A Mercy is very much present in Beloved: the lyrical quality, the different perspectives. A Mercy sounds good from your description. I’ll have to check it out.
It’s one of the best things about reading, I think – how an author or book that wouldn’t appeal to you at one point in your life can turn into a favorite at another time. I’d probably feel the same way about quite a lot of the assigned reading from school.
A lot of the reviews and such that I read about A Mercy described it as a sort of prequel to Beloved, so that is on my list of books to read as well.
I’m looking forward to relishing this one over winter break. Toni Morrison has a knack for using lyrical prose to illustrate her point in the narrative plot. I believe this book is the shortest in length of all her works, and I cannot wait to see how her imaginative power unleashes.
My winter break book is March by Geraldine Brooks – have you read it?
It really is amazing how much she was able to convey and the richness of the story and the writing in such a short book – I suppose the hallmark of a truly great writer!
I absolutely hated Beloved – made me sick to my stomach, among other things – and have never tried another of Toni Morrison’s books. I’m scared to! Beloved made me so unhappy! Do you think this would be a good one to go with?
Wow, that’s quite a visceral reaction, Jenny! I would say, in my limited exposure and knowledge of Morrison’s works, that if you felt that way about Beloved, then you may not like A Mercy, either. But my suggestion would be to try it out, and if you don’t like it, you can always stop!
(Now you’re got me even more curious to read Beloved, by the way!)
I’ve read a few Toni Morrison books but I always approach them with a sense of trepidation, even though I like them when I finally read them! I’ve got A Mercy waiting and I’ve got that same sense of trepidation again. I will get to it though.
I can definitely understand that feeling, Jo – I suppose it is because she does demand something from her readers, that they need to engage themselves in the story, and think about what she’s writing, rather than just letting her do all the work. Something like the difference between a playing on the team and watching the action from the sidelines – it’s the same game, but totally different experiences. I hope that makes sense!
I thought this book was beautifully written, too. And such an interesting look at the time period; I learned a lot.
Me too, Lisa. I wasn’t expecting to get such a sense of history and early colonial America. I’m still amazed at how much she was able to convey in such a short book.
I’ve read The Bluest Eye, Sula and Song of Solomon and want to read Beloved and A Mercy.
So I guess you’re a fan of hers, right?
Of the ones you’ve read so far, which would be your favorite?
Thank you for posting this. I’ve never read any Toni Morrison for exactly the reasons you stated. This book sounds like a good introduction though so I think I may give it a try. I’m curious about her writing style and I liked how you described it.
Thanks, Heather. I’m glad I was able to adequately convey how I felt before and after reading this book. I’ll be interested to know your thoughts about this one if you do end up reading it, too.
I’ve only read Song of Solomon. i liked it ok but i haven’t picked up anything else by her yet. This one looks good!
She might be one of those authors who you end up liking more the more you read, if that makes sense.
This book looks good. I will have to read it at some point!
It shouldn’t take you too long, Kelly, at the rate you read!
I’ve only read a couple of books by Morrison and after struggling (and finally giving up) with Paradise, I swore I’d never read another book by this author. But your review has caused me to reconsider. I thought Beloved was superb (read it with a f2f book group), but didn’t see what all the hype was about with The Bluest Eye (read for another book group). I may have to give this one a chance. Thanks!
I’d say since A Mercy gets the most comparisons to Beloved, that if that was your favorite Morrison book, you should definitely give this one a try. I’ll be curious to know what you think if you do end up reading it.
I haven’t read A Mercy yet, but just finished Song of Solomon and loved it! We are reading The Bluest Eye for our January book group. I also really loved Beloved. I must be a big fan of Morrison’s!
It sure does! I’d say it’s a safe bet that you’ll like A Mercy, too.
this is the first, and only, one of her books that I put back after the first 50 pages. Actually, I kept going past my 50 page rule, but I just never got into it. Sad….
You aren’t alone, Jessica. More than a couple women in the book club did not enjoy it and could not get into it, either. I think those that disliked it forced themselves to read it just because it was a book club book, but probably would have given up if they’d been reading it on their own. How many books of hers have you read?