this was a hard book to read, not only because of it’s subject matter but how morrison forces the reader to reflect on the parts of themselves they don’t want others to see. it centres around key themes of generational trauma, relationships between family members, especially the one between mother & daughter, as well as unapologetically portraying the un-romanticising scenes of american slavery. beloved is not my typical read & I'm not sure if i will gravitate more towards similar books in the future due to the melding of magical realism elements & historical fiction. however as a literature student i cannot ignore the poetic narrative of morrison’s writer. a genius of the craft, she weaves the reader through the characters’ stories effortlessly & entices reactions which is all a writer needs to be expert in. this is a must-read for american literature - a way to come closer to understanding the trauma of slavery and it's after-effects & although the writing style can take a little time to get used to, it's worth it to read for the pure experience.