I think this might be my favorite Toni Morrison novel now; what am I even saying? Is that crazy? The Bluest Eye is and has been and always will be really special to me, and is made all the more remarkable for being Morrison's FIRST novel (that is still shocking). But I love, love, love Sula. Female friendship has been a major theme that Morrison has explored in all of her fiction (at least all that I've read), but Sula is very squarely focused on it. Good books about female friendships are slowly coming to dominate my reading appetite (thank you, Elena Ferrante), and this has been so deliciously satisfying.

A brief word of encouragement to my male readers, of which I know there are at least three: just because a book is about female friendships doesn't mean that you won't enjoy it, and I strongly encourage everyone to read some Toni Morrison and Elena Ferrante.