Barnes & NobleSula by Toni Morrison

Early 20th century “nasty” woman (in the best way)

Sula Peace, the protagonist/antihero of Toni Morrison’s second novel, embodies all kinds of contradictions that make literary characters real. She is certainly rebellious, having learned from her mother Hannah that it’s perfectly fine to embrace s*xuality and defy gendered expectations. Her best friend Nel, another possible protagonist of this novel, also embodies a range of contradictions, yet her complexity differs slightly from Sula’s. She is equally defiant but more circumspect about her corporal delights—she prefers love to s*x, enjoys motherhood, and believes in quaint notions of integrity. Inevitably, they come into conflict over transgressions both in the past and in the present, and that conflict has dire consequences not only for them but for their entire community. The passion, perception, knowledge, talent, and artistry that would eventually earn Toni Morrison the Nobel Prize are on full display in this early work. Read it.