Recitatif

"Read as a short story. The plot was meaningful but I didn't feel that it was enough to get the point across. It does review the though process of two very different women at various times in their lives with a common bond."

"“Recitatif” demands a reread. Its depth and complexity challenge perceptions, leaving a lasting impression."

"This novella follows the lives of two women, Twyla and Roberta, who were roommates in a group home as young girls, and their interactions as adults when they periodically run into each other over the years. But in classic Morrison style, the reader cannot determine which girl is Black and which girl is White. Because of the circumstances that befall each girl, it is hard to tell; and that is the journey and the mystery for the ready. Who married well? Who works at a roadside diner? Who is in favor of busing their child to the White school? Who is against it? At times when there seems to be an obvious “aha!”, Morrison will throw a curveball that undermines your reasoning of what you thought, and makes you rethink a new possibility. The only drawback for me was the introduction by Zadie Smith. Hell, it was longer than the novella, and her deconstruction of the story, while I could appreciate her scholarly insight, gave too much of the story away before one could read it without bias or preconceptions."