Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow

“but what made the house breathe, what gave the house its lungs, was its front porch. Wide stone steps led to a front porch covered in heavy green ivy and honeysuckle and morning glory...the honeysuckle drew hummingbirds the size of baseballs and they fluttered atop the canopy...it was the finishing touch to a southern symphony, all conducted on a quarter acre plot.”

When a book opens with a quote like this, you know you're in for something special. And Memphis did not disappoint, but do not let this gorgeous prose fool you - there is a dark and traumatic story of endurance told in the voices of three generations of Southern black women between the pages of this beautiful book.

Memphis is really the story about how women make their way in the wake of the disasters their men leave behind. Reader beware - there is sexual abuse involving children in this story and it's hard to read (a lot of this story is hard to read - but important as well). I don't normally give trigger warnings but that particular storyline is a big part of the narrative and it's rough; the scene is short but the fallout is long.

What this family endures, men and women alike, is nothing short of horrific and yet they survive, carrying their scars with them for the next generation to learn from. The author took from her own family history in writing Memphis - there is a fantastic author statement at the end of the book and hearing her was quite powerful. Don't miss it.

The craft behind this story was masterful. Alternating timelines and POVs over decades could be confusing, but Stringfellow did a beautiful job weaving the lives of these strong and resilient women together.

Memphis has it all. Beautiful prose, well developed characters, a gorgeously rendered southern setting, and a story that both wrecked and inspired me. Do not miss this one.