"Beloved" is a novel by Toni Morrison, published in 1987. The novel is set in the aftermath of the American Civil War and follows the story of Sethe, a former slave who is struggling to rebuild her life in Cincinnati, Ohio. Sethe is haunted by the memory of her young daughter, whom she was forced to kill in order to spare her from the horrors of slavery.
The novel explores themes of trauma, memory, and the enduring effects of slavery on individuals and society. Sethe's story is interwoven with that of Paul D, a fellow former slave, and Beloved, a mysterious woman who appears at Sethe's house and may be the ghost of Sethe's daughter.
"Beloved" is a powerful and deeply moving novel that has received widespread critical acclaim and is considered an important work of American literature. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988 and has been widely studied and debated for its themes and its portrayal of African American history.