God Help the Child

Spare and unsparing, God Help the Child—the first novel by Toni Morrison to be set in our current moment—weaves a tale about the way the sufferings of childhood can shape, and misshape, the life of the adult. 

At the center: a young woman who calls herself Bride, whose stunning blue-black skin is only one element of her beauty, her boldness and confidence, her success in life, but which caused her light-skinned mother to deny her even the simplest forms of love. There is Booker, the man Bride loves, and loses to anger. Rain, the mysterious white child with whom she crosses paths. And finally, Bride’s mother herself, Sweetness, who takes a lifetime to come to understand that “what you do to children matters. And they might never forget.”

A fierce and provocative novel that adds a new dimension to the matchless oeuvre of Toni Morrison.

“Nobel laureate Morrison continues to add to her canon of eloquent, brilliantly conceived novels defining the crises and cultural shifts of our times. . . . Yet another finely distilled masterpiece.” —Jane Ciabattari, BBC
 
“Powerful portraits in lean prose. . . . The pieces all fit together seamlessly in a story about beating back the past, confronting the present, and understanding one’s worth.” —Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal, (starred review)
 
“Sly, savage, honest, and elegant. . . . Morrison spikes elements of realism and hyperrealism with magic and mayhem, while sustaining a sexily poetic and intoxicating narrative atmosphere. . . . Once again, Morrison thrillingly brings the storytelling moxie and mojo that make her, arguably, our greatest living novelist.” —Lisa Shea, ELLE Magazine
 
“A chilling oracle and a lively storyteller, Nobel winner Morrison continues the work she began 45 years ago with The Bluest Eye.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
 
“Another dazzler from Nobel laureate Morrison.” —Barbara Hoffert’s Fiction Picks, Library Journal
 
“Emotionally-wrenching. . . . [Morrison’s] literary craftsmanship endures with sparse language, precise imagery, and even humor. This haunting novel displays a profound understanding of American culture and an unwavering sense of justice and forgiveness.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)