This is a beautifully written novel that analyses people's lives and what they do and why they do it.

One of the things that I found most compelling about this novel is how Toni Morrison uses perspective. The way in which Violet cannot comprehend her actions so she creates a that Violet. In addition, the way that the novel is narrated by a nebulous who it's never quite clear who, or what, they are.

Another thing that I enjoyed was how Toni Morrison makes the city itself feel as though it is a person in its own right.