this is a book that i truly wish i read with other people or in a literature class because i felt like there were so many layers that i missed out on during my first reading of it. like, the analysis in the foreword about the first sentence of the book alone shows just how much depth there is to this book that i otherwise would’ve been unaware of. 

the story is so vibrant thanks to morrison’s lyrical prose, and despite being centered on a male protagonist, i found myself entranced by the depth of the female characters to the point where almost every line i highlighted and annotated in this book was about one of the female characters. admittedly, i picked this book up because i was interested in reading more books in the magical realism genre, but i personally found this book to be more of a generational family saga rather than a true magical realism book. that doesn’t detract from the quality of the prose nor the appeal of the plot, but that was one thing that i noted after finishing the book.

i definitely plan on re-reading this book again and perhaps even getting my own copy instead of relying on the dog-eared library copy. and again, i really do feel like i need to read this book with other people or at least look at someone else’s professional analysis on this book because it is so rich with symbols and allusions that i almost certainly didn’t get the full gravity of. such a great read!