Following Fangirl this October is a more complex, heavy read in Toni Morrison’s Paradise. The cocktail to match: a new Old Fashioned.
A work of compelling historical fiction, Paradise is a slow-burning novel. Here, we encounter Ruby, Oklahoma - an all-black town which places great value upon tradition, maintaining bloodlines to preserve the darkest complexion possible after centuries of running from racist rejection. On the outskirts of the town lies the Convent, a decrepit mansion housing a set of troubled women who have found solace in one another’s company. Where the women of the Convent unburden themselves and feel at last liberated from society’s constraints, Ruby’s citizens feel increasingly threatened. After all, how can a town defined by tradition and family ties possibly understand happiness outside the bounds of tradition?
Religion or Fear?
"'God is not interested in you.'" - Reverend Pulliam, Paradise
Unsurprisingly for the 1960s, men continue to make the rules in Ruby, dictating who to trust and who to fear based (allegedly) on religious superstition and tradition. It is possible, however, that Ruby’s men, epitomized in the Morgan brothers, are just obsessed with control and afraid of change. They lash out at the single, mixed-race women in a house outside of city limits, labeling them witches, criminals, and perverse creatures bent on corrupting Ruby’s youth. Women like Consolata feel empowered by their faith and their religious celebration of themselves, but the Convent's mere existence is perceived as a challenge to Ruby’s obsession with tradition and a dependent population. Indeed, the children of the town are raised to value piety and tradition, compelled to maintain pure bloodlines and subscribe to the idea that faith is subservience rather than a medium of empowerment.
Questions Ruby Raises
However, through third person narration we begin to befriend and understand these ostracized women, and in turn question the grounds on which the men of Ruby condemn the Convent.
Fraught with a unique tension between spirit, body, control, and faith, Paradise navigates the nuanced world of a town rejected by all others and the constraints they enforce on those around them. Does religion seek to empower, or render us meek? What purpose do our bodies serve?
In a novel filled with twists and turns, deceit and romance, Morrison compels readers to look beyond the surface and consider what makes a human being "good" and how we might limit the identities of others around us in small ways each day.
An Old-Fashioned Town
I can't say whether the townspeople of Ruby would drink this themselves, but per my research, the Old Fashioned cocktail was very popular in Oklahoma in the 60s. And being stuck in cyclical, harmful traditions as they are in the misogynistic town of Ruby, the drink felt rather apropos. What's more traditional and old-fashioned than the patriarchy? Ha.
All jokes aside, I truly love this book and the incredibly unique narration style Morrison employs. I initially read it for a class project but have returned to it for additional insight since then, especially given our current social climate. Morrison has always had her thumb on the pulse of society, and the messages she communicated then are just as relevant today. Be warned: though this novel often reads like poetry and is rich with imagery, it can be difficult to get through; many scenes are very dark and painful. However, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in reading more about colorism, contemporary religion, racism, sexism, or feminism. She truly offers a unique intersection between these subjects and encouraged me to think more critically about the associations I draw (or don't draw) between womanhood and spirituality. For me, this book comes in between 4 and 4.5 stars out of 5.
I don't think my cocktail recipe is as thought-provoking as Paradise itself, but just to throw a wrench in the typical Old Fashioned recipe (much like the women of the Convent), I decided to add a little twist.
Traditional recipe:
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
3(ish) dashes of bitters
1 teaspoon(ish) of water
2 ounces of bourbon
Orange peel
My recipe:
1/2 teaspoon of honey
3(ish) dashes of bitters
1 tablespoon of water
2 ounces of bourbon
1 tablespoon of pineapple orange juice
A few squeezes of lemon juice
(I was tempted to try a High Fashion recipe I found including gin, grapefruit juice, and rhubarb bitters, but I don't have the funds to get these fancy ingredients.)
Cheers to the Convent!
Wow, something tells me I should've been drinking this the whole time I read Paradise! It's both refreshing and slow, much akin to the novel, at times. I wish I could sit down with the women of the Convent and just talk to them and drink sweet tea, but I guess this is a decent substitute. (Although I have a feeling I'd be great friends with Gigi and Connie. Idk.)
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