God Help the Child (Vintage International)

"God Help the Child" is the Nobel laureate's latest novel depicting the lasting and burdensome affects of a childhood shattered by misguided parental love. In this short account, set in a more contemporary period than typical for the author, Morrison surfaces a long list of social and familial issues which mold the adults that children become - racism, color prejudice, grief, abuse – in all its forms - and of course, love. I think the word – surfaces - aptly describes the author's treatment of these topics. Through tightly drawn characters and evocative prose Morrison unearths the cruelty people are capable of when lacking love, in search of love or trying to hold on to it. Yet she declares neither villain nor hero outright; if such characters are needed it is left to the reader to finger them. Morrison portrays experiences through scenes that challenge the senses, ignite the intellect and ultimately, for this reader, informs ones perception of self."God Help the Child", consistent with all of the work in Morrison's canon, is redolent with sparse yet densely impactful sentences that begin to expand with meaning as soon as you've read them. I found in the revealing of the character Bride that the more I learned of her beauty, as perceived by everyone around her, the more I questioned the construction it. It was two sentences and a phrase uttered by Sweetness that triggered the question; "Last two times I saw her she was, well, striking. Kind of bold and confident. Each time she came I forgot just how black she really was because she was using it to her advantage in beautiful white clothes." The cloak (clothes) of whiteness that made her blackness beautiful seems fashionably chic on the surface but is it really necessary to cover ourselves in whiteness (whatever that means to the reader) for others (or us) to appreciate the skin we live in? Is a black beauty only apparent in the context of whiteness? This is but one example of how my encounter with the text - skillfully selected, artfully placed – resonates below the surface, expanding in meaning the more I ponder it."God Help the Child" is fable-like in its brevity with cautionary elements. As the lives and circumstances of the characters unfold I was subliminally aware of the peril that lurked at the edges of the story. In true Morrison style, mysterious occurrences reveal blatant truths. Truths that are best learned from a story than in actuality; "Taught me a lesson I should have known all along", reflects Sweetness, "What you do to children matters. And they might never forget." Parents beware. Kudos to Morrison for another impeccably crafted novel. I’m always excited for the next one! Highly recommended.

In her latest novel, God Help the Child, Toni Morrison perpetuates her legacy as “a storyteller with an abiding moral vision.” The Nobel Prize winning author who also penned acclaimed novels such as The Bluest Eye, Sula, and Beloved shares the story of Bride, aka Lula Ann Bridewell as the central character in the modern day tale which deals with the usual suspects of a Morrison novel: racism, skin color, child molestation, mother-daughter relationships, family, love, and survival. Staying true to her roots in the Contemporary Period, Morrison explores the multiplicity of African American identities, includes poetry and the importance of music, introduces a “supernatural” component to the story, and utilizes a postmodern plot and narrator deviation similar to that found in Beloved.This novel is a rather quick read and upon a first reading, one might be hard-pressed to understand exactly what Morrison’s intentions are, but woven intricately within the colorful characters’ stories is the central theme – the child. Morrison examines the lifelong effects when children are not loved and nurtured properly. This theme is articulated by Bride’s mother, Sweetness: “What you do to children matters. And they might never forget.” For Bride, the wounds began from childbirth, when her mother was ashamed of her dark color. To gain attention and favor from her mother, Bride lies and sends an innocent woman to jail. Even though Bride finally got the attention she so desperately needed, she carried that guilt with her forever. As for her boyfriend, Booker, he is constantly dealing with the childhood murder of his brother, Adam. These two worlds intersect when Booker believes Bride befriends a child molester, and he leaves her. In response, Bride slips into a childlike state. The twenty-three year old starts to lose the physical signs of being a woman – pubic hair, armpit hair, pierced earlobes, developed breasts, and her menstrual cycle. Or she imagines these changes. Either way, the reader has an obvious connection to what is going on with Bride. She regains her adult features and confidence when she receives the love and validation missing from her childhood. She and Booker both acknowledge their damaging childhood burdens and look forward to moving on with their lives and their unborn child.The novel succeeds in showcasing the variety of ills that can befall children and the subsequent, lifelong effects that childhood memories and guilt can have on a human being. Morrison brilliantly connects all of the characters and proves through their stories that very few humans go through this life unharmed. But in order for the reader to gain all of these insights as Morrison intended, he or she must read the book more than once. The characters and story lines often seem rushed, and by no means is this a classic like Beloved. However, the message bears telling, and God Help the Child sufficiently entertains in that telling.

Whether this novel, Morrison’s eleventh, ranks among her previous best work is irrelevant. If judging God Help the Child on its own merits, it possesses qualities of a powerful book. It has complex, fascinating characters; mysterious settings and multilayered plot lines; touches of magic and irony; and, of course, it has Morrison’s inimitable prose, bursting with lyricism and verve that truly distinguish her as a brilliant writer. The story follows Bride and her tumultuous relationships with both her mother, Sweetness, and the man of her dreams, Booker. The narrative alternates from each of their voices and also from the vantage points of other memorable characters along the way. In addressing child abuse, race perceptions, and violence, Morrison produces a work that delivers the same type of blistering truth and unsettling emotion that have been trademarks throughout her career. This is an intense novel about enduring love and its many obstacles; about lifelong anguish and how the past impacts the future; about what parents do to their children; about secrets, lies, and how human conscience will eventually force the truth to surface; and, ultimately, it’s about compassion and forgiveness. In the end, Morrison again shows how, even when the wreckage caused from so much horror and sorrow seems insurmountable to overcome, the world forever has hope.