A point of particular genius is the way that she writes dialogue.
It's fun to read this book just after Shakespeare, who is also a master of dialogue. Shakespeare's conversations, though, have a very different shape and texture. His characters speak to each other in a way that is theatrical and hard to imagine actually transpiring.
Morrison's characters engage in conversations that feel authentic. I love the small details, the non sequiturs, the putdowns, the riffs, and the tender moments of compassion and forgiveness.
Morrison's dialogues have the effect of helping me realize that our relationships -- and in a broader sense our lives -- are a compilation of conversations. Taken individually, a single conversation might not feel significant or earth shattering, but woven together they become our connections, our memories, our emotions. I cannot think of another author with quite the same gift for conveying the way that people communicate with one another.
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I had forgotten the way that Song of Solomon is, on one level, a treasure hunt (in this sense, there's a connection to The Count of Monte Cristo).
The way in which Macon Dead Jr., Milkman, and Guitar seek the stash of gold (does it truly exist?) raises all sorts of questions about capitalism and, more generally, the things we choose to search for. Yet the layers of family history (revealed through a series of carefully parceled and extremely engaging stories) communicates that our relationships are truly the core of our identity: individual, familial, and societal.
I do love this book. A genuine masterpiece.
