Sula

 Sula by Toni Morrison (1973) 174 pages

I previously listened to Morrison's Beloved, but didn't grasp much of what it was trying to say. When The Atlantic published a "The Great American Novels" list in 2024 including Sula, I decided I should read another of Morrison's books. I'm from Ohio too. Medallion, Ohio is a fictional town, but I read it could be based on Lorain, Ohio to the west of Cleveland where Morrison grew up. Morrison explores the social changes in a black community called the "Bottom" between 1919 and 1965. There is a good bit in the beginning and end of the novel that does not focus on the title character, Sula. Instead, we meet Shadrack, who is a traumatized WWI veteran. He cannot readjust to living in "normal" society. Morrison's descriptions of the community are vivid. She then traces the lives of four women that are central to the relationships of the "Bottom." Eva is a mysterious figure who has a promiscuous daughter named Hannah amongst many other children. Hannah is the mother of Sula, who dies when Sula is still young. We spend quite of bit of time getting to know Sula and her friend Nel, but also Sula leaves for ten years for college. After college, Sula passes through many big cities, but is unable to find a man that she feels really connected to, so she returns to the Bottom. There is no straightforward plot, but a loose set of occurrences that resist simplistic notions of heroes or villains.

The People We Hate at the Wedding

The People We Hate at the Wedding by Grant Ginder (2017) 324 pages

Paul and Alice are siblings whose older half-sister, Eloise (who lives in England) is going to get married. Dysfunctional relationships abound in this novel, partly because Eloise's father is quite wealthy, and she has had advantages that her half-siblings have not. Additionally, Paul and his mother are estranged because Paul thinks she disrespected his father after his death by removing all signs of his existence. Paul, who's a social worker, is also struggling with his job, working for an unorthodox researcher. Paul's pompous partner, Mark, seems interested in adding a third party to their relationship, which is another stressor for Paul. Alice has her own issues, being in a relationship with her married boss, plus having a lot of emotional baggage from a previous relationship. Their mother, Donna, has her own somewhat bleak world.

By the time we finally meet the bride, we're already at page 164 and worn out from watching the antics of the others, ready for a more stable person! Eloise might be more stable, and perhaps means well, but watch out!

The story is a strange mingling of the comical and the sad. Do the hilarious bits make up for the painful ones? You'll have to be the judge.