I was rooting for Joan and loved discovering more of her history and what made her who she is. The strong family ties are the heart of this book. What Memphis does so well is capture the volatile nature of life and scatter both sides of the emotional spectrum through the read to make sure you keep turning those pages. Among kin.īut, there is also happiness, loyalty and dreams. I understood then why the first sin on this earth had been a murder. There are some high-drama moments as the family face racism, violence and a tragic event within the confines of their own family home. Joan felt like more of a lead character to me, from childhood trauma we see her grow into a character that you genuinely care about.

The chapters move between each woman across a range of 20th century timeframes spanning around 70 years. Opening sentence: The house looked living. You feel the warmth and pain of America’s deep south coming from the pages and get completely engrossed in the lives of these remarkable women. Epic in scope yet intimate in detail, it is a vivid portrait of three generations of a Southern black family, as well as an ode to the city they call home.What a heart-soaring, gut-punching read Memphis is! Yes, named for the place it’s set, this is a generational tale of a family of charismatic women: Hazel, Miriam, August, Joan and Mya.

Memphis is a celebration of the enduring strength of female bonds, of what we pass down, from mother to daughter. It is in sketching portraits of the women in her life, her aunt and her mother, the women who come to have their hair done, the women who come to chat and gossip, that Joan begins laughing again, begins living. And now this house is the only place Joan has left. August lives there still, running a salon where the neighbourhood women gather. They are no strangers to adversity resilience runs in their blood.įifty years ago, Hazel's husband was lynched by his all-white police squad, yet she made a life for herself and her daughters in the majestic house he built for them.

This house full of history is home to the women of the North family. How the smell of honeysuckle is almost overwhelming as she climbs the porch steps to the house where her mother grew up.īut when the front door opens, she does remember Derek. She doesn't know she's as likely to hear a gunshot ring out as the sound of children playing.

She doesn't remember the bustle of Beale Street on a summer's night. Joan was only a child the last time she visited Memphis. Memphis, Tara M.Stringfellow ( hardback April 2022) £14.99 Joan can't change her family's past.

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