It has been a long while since I have read anything by Toni Morrison (i.e., Song of Solomon, read during my freshman year of college, deserves a rereading, as I am sure my 31-year-old self would have much more to say about it than my 18-year-old self).  Thus, as I used the NY Times Book Review “Best of 2008” to stock up on English-language books while I was home for Christmas, I didn’t need much convincing to add Morrison’s A Mercy to my pile.

I loved this book.  It was a magical dive back into a world that I barely ever give thought to: colonial America in the 1680’s.  A century before our founding fathers and the  romanticism of the Revolution and the patriotism of the Declaration of Independence.  The novel is interwoven with tragedies of the time: the decimation of Native Americans through small pox, the growing importation of slaves, Puritanism, and witch hunts.  It speaks of the enormous hardships of starting over (whether by choice or by force), and the necessity to forge connections where ever possible, though they don’t always hold for long under such circumstances.

I was also reminded how much I enjoy writing which lets your imagination take hold, allows you to read between the lines, and doesn’t spoon feed you the details — all hallmarks of Morrison’s novels.  I found this story to be wonderfully written and extremely captivating.

My one complaint is that I wish it were longer, that we were allowed to delve even deeper to the core of the characters.  I was left still thirsting for more.  But perhaps I should view A Mercy as a prologue of sorts to Morrison’s other works, and be thankful that I have been reintroduced to her magical storytelling.  Now, excuse me, as I go dust Song of Solomon off my bookshelf.