The Situation: It is 1995, and ten year-old Joan finds herself on a journey to Memphis, Tennessee. She knows she has been to her dead grandmother's house before, but she does not remember much since she was only three years old at the time. Now she, her mother Miriam, and her little sister Mya make the journey without her father, and are greeted by her Aunt August and her cousin Derek. While the mother and her two daughters are fleeing one bad situation, they very well may have entered into another one. And as the stories are told throughout the years, it becomes clear that the North family is no stranger to violence, trauma, and sacrifice.
The Problem: After remembering a past trauma, Joan manages to find relief and solace in her art. And while constantly carrying around a sketch book and drawing nearly everything she sees does not cause her that much trouble, her mother Miriam would rather that she focus on a hobby or occupation that she can actually make money from. But her Aunt August comes to her aid, as well as the mysterious neighbor down the street who claims to know about magic and curses. As the novel progresses, three generations of North woman have their stories and their struggles revealed, showing their ability to persevere in the most impossible of circumstances.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a fiction novel, often categorized as historical fiction, that is set primarily between the years 1995 to 2003, in Memphis, Tennessee. However, the story is not told in a strictly chronological fashion, as it skips around in time, and from one narrator to another. Between Joan, Miriam, August, and Hazel, nearly 70 years of family history are covered, and with each generation comes new obstacles to overcome, and more hard decisions that need to be made. With the use of important historical events to mark the years (such as the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), Stringfellow takes the reader back and forth through time with these resolute women.
My Verdict: Sometimes picking up a book just to see what all of the fuss is about pays off...and of course there are the times it does not. For me, this one fell somewhere in the middle. I am certainly glad I decided to go ahead and read it and give it a space on this blog, but I was not as blown away as I was expecting to be after seeing how much attention it was getting. I will say that the author puts a lot of history and story into less than 250 pages. And while having multiple narrators is always risky, the technique works out well here, and having the story jump around through time is not as confusing as it could have been.
Favorite Moment: When sisters Miriam and August, almost without words, prepare for unwanted visitors with one of them opening the door, while the other holds the shotgun in place.
Favorite Character: Miss Dawn is that one neighbor lady that your parents tell you not to bother, but turns out to both be not as scary, and somehow even more scary, than you thought.
Recommended Reading: I recommend another 2022 release, Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson.
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