Memphis

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17.99

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE

‘An American epic’ Chloe Benjamin, bestselling author of The Immortalists

‘As hopeful as it is heartbreaking’ Jacqueline Woodson, bestselling author of Red at the Bone

‘An unforgettable cast of characters who find strength in vulnerability, safety in art, and liberation in telling the truth’ Robert Jones Jr, bestselling author of The Prophets

Fleeing her husband’s explosive temper, Miriam has brought her two daughters, Joan and Mya, back to Memphis, to the home her father built in the 40s.

Joan was only a child the last time she visited Memphis. She doesn’t remember the bustle of Beale Street on a summer’s night or the smell of honeysuckle as she climbs the porch steps to her aunt’s house. But when the front door opens, she does remember her cousin Derek.

As Joan learns more about her family’s past she discovers she’s not the only North woman to have experienced great hurt. But she also sees their resilience and courage, how these extraordinary women fry green tomatoes and braid hair and sing all the while.

Memphis has changed since Joan’s grandparents lived there. Streets once filled with the beat of protest and blues, now echo with gunfire. But Joan still looks for the beauty in this city, in its people – and she realizes that to make a future for herself, she must find her own song to sing.

ISBN: 9781529339246

Out of stock

Joan was only a child the last time she visited Memphis. She doesn’t remember the bustle of Beale Street on a summer’s night. She doesn’t know she’s as likely to hear a gunshot ring out as the sound of children playing. How the smell of honeysuckle is almost overwhelming as she climbs the porch steps to the house where her mother grew up. But when the front door opens, she does remember Derek. This house full of history is home to the women of the North family. They are no strangers to adversity; resilience runs in their blood. Fifty 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. August lives there still, running a salon where the neighbourhood women gather. And now this house is the only place Joan has left.

Additional information

Weight0.34 kg
Dimensions23.2 × 15.2 × 2.2 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

272

Language

English

Edition

Export ed

Dewey

813.6 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K

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