Inspired by the true story of an escaped slave who murdered her own children rather than let them be recaptured and returned to a life of bondage, this searing book is set in Ohio in the aftermath of the Civil War. Sethe, a former slave, has retreated to a life of haunted isolation. Her sons have fled, her mother-in-law has died, and she and her remaining daughter, Denver, cling to each other amid the agonizing memories of their enslavement and the supernatural visitations of a dead child known only as Beloved.

When a man who was also in captivity on the same plantation as Sethe arrives at the farm, he seems at first to help the women regain a sense of normalcy in their lives. The ghost of the dead baby disappears, and he brings Sethe and Denver out into the world to enjoy a carnival. Upon their return, however, a mysterious young woman appears at the farm who wreaks havoc on Sethe's fragile reality.

Constantly shifting between the past and the present, this emotionally devastating story shows the nightmare for individuals trying to come to terms with unimaginable emotional pain—and offers up a compelling portrait of the enduring reverberations of slavery on African American families.

The winner of many major awards for literature—from the Pulitzer to the Nobel Prize—this book is considered one of the greatest works of American fiction.