Jazz

This book was partially inspired by a photo of the Jazz age in Harlem.  The picture was of a deceased young woman who was killed by her boyfriend.  As usual, Toni Morrison took the idea and ran with it by developing a back story of who that woman was and why she ended up like that.  Of course there isn't just that part of the book, but how she affected other lives as well.

Her boyfriend ends up being married, which extends to ramification to his wife and what that brings out in his wife per his indiscretion.  As his affair plays out, more people become part of the rouse.  All of these characters end up interacting at different point in their "small" community in Harlem. 

The other side of this book is the discovery of the main narrator.  How does this narrator know so much?  Is the narrator reliable?  Who is the narrator?  There are some clues of this throughout the book, but it isn't till the end that the reader becomes more aware.  If this book is read a second time with this idea in mind, the reader can find other hints to this as well throughout the book. 

Finally, per the name of the book (Jazz), music and it's cultural plays a key role as well.  There are aspects that seem like scatting via the vocalized sounds that may seem difficult to pronounce when initially read.  As each character tells their story in their monologue, it plays the role of a solo in Jazz music.  Once they are all combined in their own pitch and style, the Jazz becomes it's own style, sound, and song. 

If I could find the picture that was the inspiration, I would have shared it, but no matter what, Toni Morrison does a great job with developing the reader's imagination in this story.