SULA is the story of two women, Sula and Nel, who are childhood friends. Raised together in The Bottom, the hillside black community where failure seems a way of life, both girls are poor but smart and dreaming of better lives.  Sula does manage to escape, hopping from city to city all across America for ten years.  

When Sula returns, the conflict --- with Nel and the other women in town --- is the heart of the book.  The other women never did understand Sula, and now with her worldly ways, they distrust her even more.  They find it difficult to forget the strange, dark events that tend to accompany Sula.

Sula soon learns that Nel has settled down with her husband and children, and found a way of life in The Bottom that suits her.  The women find that while they no longer really understand each other, neither are they willing to give up on their friendship.  It is this quality that ultimately damages both of them.

Morrison's writing in SULA is emotional, dark and clear.  The novel is filled with  immense tragedy and memorable characters.  Morrison's ability to be specific while describing the universal aspects of small town life, the often catty women it tends to foster, and a friendship struggling to survive in this environment is what makes her both profound and accessible.  

   --- Reviewed by Liz Keuffer


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