This is the first novel by Ms. Morrison I’ve ever read, and I’m still haunted by the writing and the imagery she commands. Set in 1690, we are introduced to the people living and working on a small farm: the owner, his wife, and the women toiling away beside them. Using voices and perspectives from all the inhabitants on the farm, we are instantly immersed into the world of early America, with all its precariousness, diversity and prejudices. And in the hands of Ms. Morrison, that world is filled with rich details, unspoken emotions and slowly revealed secrets.