Hate to love it.

The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison

I read this book in high school and again 6 years after graduating. It was hard to read at times as the author went into the hidden, and not so hidden, desires and actions of the characters. Providing background history of each character in the story was a great touch. History did not excuse their behaviors, but it did help to explain their way of thinking and why they did the things that they did.