Home (Vintage International)

In Toni Morrison's latest short novel of 147 pages, HOME, Frank and Ycidra (Cee), brother and sister, like so many Toni Morrison characters, are ones you cannot get away from. Frank has recently returned from the Korean War only to face a Jim Crow South, although the character Lowe reminds him: "Listen here, you from Georgia and you been in a desegregated army and maybe you think up North is way different from down South. Don't believe it and don't count on it. Custom is just as real as law. . ." Frank is very protective of his baby sister nicknamed Cee who faces unspeakable violence of the worst kind that cannot be discussed in a review without giving too much of the plot away.I'm convinced that no contemporary American novelist writes better first lines than Ms. Morrison. (For example, although I read JAZZ and PARADISE years ago, the first lines of both those novels remain printed on my brain.) The first line here that begins a horrific short first chapter is "They rose up like men." The other characteristics of a Morrison novel are here: one-word titles, complex characters totally convincing as people, a nonlinear story line, powerful statements about racism in America without being didactic and, finally, beautiful language, often about love, hope, endurance. "Their parents [Frank and Cee's] were so beat by the time they came home from work, any affection they showed was like a razor--sharp, short, and thin. Lenore [their step-grandmother] was the wicked witch. Frank and Cee, like some forgotten Hansel and Gretel, locked hands as they navigated the silence and tried to imagine a future." Unlike many who left the South during this period, their migration so well documented in THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS, these characters return to their home in fictional Lotus, Georgia. Of course Ms. Morrison captures this return in page after page of exquisite prose as these two, as Andrew Young would say, make a way out of no way: "So he [Frank] busted himself cleaning and repairing his parents' house that had been empty since his father died. . . He rummaged a hole next to the cook stove and found the matchbox. Cee's two baby teeth were so small next to his winning marbles. . . The Bulova watch was still there. No stem, no hands--the way time functioned in Lotus, pure and subject to anybody's interpretation." Then Frank returns to the cotton field he had hated so much as a child and remembers a time when "he and Cee were free to invent ways to occupy that timeless time when the world was fresh." (Reynolds Price, a great fan of Ms. Morrison's, is the only modern American author who comes to mind who wrote prose as beautiful and evocative as this.)Ms. Morrison uses the literary device of pathetic fallacy over and over in this book that often reads like a prose poem: roots fight back, the sun sashays and does her best, cornstalks sleep, etc. How does this short novel rank with her previous fiction? Does it matter? It is enough to know that you are always in the hands of a great writer as Ms. Morrison delivers the truth. HOME of course is something to read in one sitting and not to be missed.

A new novel from Toni Morrison is an event to relish. With a literary career spanning into its fifth decade, she continues to produce work as powerful and unforgettable as any fiction published in this day and age. In her most slender work of fiction to date, Home lacks none of the storytelling ingenuity and character depth that are hallmarks of every one of her works. A veteran of the Korean War, Frank Money returns to the states fortunate enough to have escaped physical wounds. More distressingly, though, he suffers from flashback moments of nightmarish anguish over the atrocities he committed as a soldier. He is also distressed over any thought of returning to his god-forsaken hometown of Lotus, Georgia. When a letter arrives from a resident of his childhood town telling him that his younger sister, Ycidra ("Cee"), has fallen victim to a crime, Frank bolts back to the place he despises in order to save her. The central story of Frank and Cee is compelling and tender, a recounting of life's struggle to survive and find ways to forgive and move on. Morrison packs surprises and shocks, and the ending is tremendously arresting, sad, and beautiful in its power to explore how any transgression can be faced with dignity and how solace can be found in a redeeming act of grace. The main plot is supplemented with side stories, full of their own intrigue. Even in such a short novel like Home, Morrison's range of narrative is extraordinary, how everything feels so authentic and every character, no matter how minor, feels so real. Her novels are never one straightforward story; they are canvases of insight, interwoven tableaus of places and people. Every detail is fascinating, her prose vibrant and fresh, reminding us how incredibly brilliant Toni Morrison is. In its brevity, Home is another testament that with each work Toni Morrison breaks new ground as an artist and re-establishes the measure of what every writer should do: challenge their self and continue to produce work that bristles with emotion, packs a punch, and evokes admiration.

Ex-library hardback copy, 11 years old in pristine condition.Do such wonderful books just sit unread in libraries?Speedy delivery

Schöne Sprache, ganz gut verständlich. Eine dichte, anschaulich eingefangene Atmosphäre. Die Schilderung der Erlebnisse des Koreakrieg Veteranen gibt einen kleinen Einblick in die Gesellschaft der USA. Ich habe große Lust auf mehr von Toni Morrison bekommen.

I just dislike the subject matter and don’t like reading about a way of life I just don’t relate to or understand. If I didn’t have to read this book for my book group then I would have given up very early. I don’t feel enriched or improved by having read it. The style was confusing.

OKKK

I can see why Toni Morrison's work is acclaimed. The story moves along quickly. But ever time you think that you understand the characters and events, new information is revealed that gives you a different understanding. And as the lives of people are woven into the story, you must change your mind yet again. You end up admiring the resilience and kindness of people that you had earlier dismissed. A short book, but every word has impact. Definitely recommended.