Recitatif: A Story
Ratings14
Average rating4.1
A beautiful, arresting story about race and the relationships that shape us through life by the legendary Toni Morrison. In this 1983 short story--the only short story Morrison ever wrote--we meet Twyla and Roberta, who have known each other since they were eight years old and spent four months together as roommates in St. Bonaventure shelter. Inseparable then, they lose touch as they grow older, only later to find each other again at a diner, a grocery store, and again at a protest. Seemingly at opposite ends of every problem, and at each other's throats each time they meet, the two women still cannot deny the deep bond their shared experience has forged between them. Another work of genius by this masterful writer, Recitatif keeps Twyla's and Roberta's races ambiguous throughout the story. Morrison herself described Recitatif, a story which will keep readers thinking and discussing for years to come, as "an experiment in the removal of all racial codes from a narrative about two characters of different races for whom racial identity is crucial." We know that one is white and one is Black, but which is which? And who is right about the race of the woman the girls tormented at the orphanage? A remarkable look into what keeps us together and what keeps us apart, and how perceptions are made tangible by reality, Recitatif is a gift to readers in these changing times.
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i found this really interesting but the actual short story is so short. i think i enjoyed this was more because of the introduction and it made me really think and contemplate this story more.
As a person who does not normally enjoy short stories. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Toni Morrison truly has a way with words. She makes you care for characters, even if you're only with them for a short amount of time. The introduction analysis by Zadie Smith was phenomenal. She helps the reader understand the text. I recommend reading the short story first before the introduction. I believe it's best to go into it without any preconceived notions. So you can form your own opinions and then read what Smith has to say.
The question of which character is who is such a brilliant idea. It makes the reader think about their internal prejudices and reasonings. I don't know which character is which and I think that was Morrisons' intent. I might even say they can be interchangeable if you think about it. This is why I loved this story so much. There's no one right answer and that's fascinating to me.
Before I give this story a final rating I'd like to reread and analyze it.
As a person who does not normally enjoy short stories. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Toni Morrison truly has a way with words. She makes you care for characters, even if you're only with them for a short amount of time. The introduction analysis by Zadie Smith was phenomenal. She helps the reader understand the text. I recommend reading the short story first before the introduction. I believe it's best to go into it without any preconceived notions. So you can form your own opinions and then read what Smith has to say.
The question of which character is who is such a brilliant idea. It makes the reader think about their internal prejudices and reasonings. I don't know which character is which and I think that was Morrisons' intent. I might even say they can be interchangeable if you think about it. This is why I loved this story so much. There's no one right answer and that's fascinating to me.
Before I give this story a final rating I'd like to reread and analyze it.
