While there is a lot of debate as to whether the magical realism is a necessary part of Beloved, I think it is what makes the book great. Without it the book would simply be the story of a tortured woman who escaped slavery and killed one of her children. All but one of her remaining children left her because they were afraid of her. Now she struggles to escape memories of slavery while raising her child. It would be fairly straightforward, and likely wouldn't be regarded as one of the greatest books in American literature.
It is the magical realism that puts the book in this category. The ghost of Beloved adds so much symbolism to the book. We can see how Sethe is literally haunted by her past. It gives us a physical manifestation of the fear that is driving everyone away from 124. But perhaps most importantly, it ensures the reader cannot forget what Sethe has done and what she has gone through and reminds them they still don't know the full story the book has to tell.
I would agree that the magical realism adds the what makes Beloved such an interesting read. It's like putting together a bunch of pieces of a puzzle with all the symbolic hints related to the ghost of Beloved and the relationship between Beloved and Sethe.
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