Book cover of A Mercy

Book description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In “one of Morrison’s most haunting works” (The New York Times),the acclaimed Nobel Prize winner reveals what lies beneath the surface of slavery. But at its heart, like Beloved, it is the story of a mother and a daughter—a mother who casts off her daughter in order…

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Why read it?

1 author picked A Mercy as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Although Sula is my favorite Toni Morrison protagonist, I’ve found the most profound revelation of power in the four women I consider the collective protagonist of A Mercy. Florens is the primary protagonist, but the communal self she forms with the others leaps off the page.

In a society where men value independence, I rooted for these women as they leaned into interdependence: Rebekka, white Mistress of the house; Lina, the Native American servant; Sorrow, the servant suspected of being mixed-race and feeble-minded; and Florens, the enslaved black girl taken as payment for a debt.

This multiracial cast pools their…

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The world is fraying. Art is disappearing. And one woman sets out on the river before everything changes forever.

A few years into the future, society is unraveling. Violence is rising. The aftermath of a devastating pandemic still lingers. And across the country, a phenomenon known only as the Vanishing…

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