Sula - A book by Toni Morrison

From the black community of Bottom where people live each day, not as a step towards a future but simply as a means to forget about the past and endure the present, emerges Sula. She contradicts all the Bottom is, a place where people are more than happy to follow the rigid social conventions and shun those that defy them. She finds a friend in Nel, who comes from a strictly conventional family, and with whom she grows close in spite of the differences in their home and character. But one fateful incident later, they begin to drift apart. Nel settles into domestic life after her marriage and Sula leaves town. Se returns after 10 years amidst talks about her promiscuity. She is regarded as the face of evil for her unconventional and wild life which is cemented as she embarks on an affair with Nel's husband. The people come together in their distrust and hatred for her which ironically improves their lives. The peace comes undone after Sula's death. This is the second novel of the award-winning writer whose other best known novel are Beloved and Song of Solomon.