Episode 4

By Toni Morrison
Adapted by Patricia Cumper

Toni Morrison's seminal 1987 novel about a haunted house in the era that followed the abolition of slavery in the United States is adapted for radio for the first time. Toni Morrison's masterpiece melds horror and poetry as it tells the story of Sethe, a woman who escaped slavery by crossing the Ohio river, but who, eighteen years later, is still not free.

The residents of 124 Bluestone Road return from a day trip to the Cincinnati fair to discover a young woman collapsed outside their home. They feed her and allow her to convalesce and yet the mysterious visitor reveals very little about herself, other than her name, Beloved.

Original music by Jon Nicholls
Sound design by Caleb Knightley

Director: Sasha Yevtushenko.