Description

*THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER*
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE

‘A rhapsodic hymn to Black women’ New York Times Book Review

‘Epic yet intimate’ Cosmopolitan

‘Ferocious and compassionate’ Irish Times

FAMILY CAN HOLD YOU TOGETHER. AND TEAR YOU APART.

Joan was only a child the last time she visited Memphis. She doesn’t remember the bustle of Beale Street 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.

Joan can’t change the past, but she can change her future. It’s time to find her own song to sing.

**** READERS LOVE MEMPHIS ****

‘I couldn’t put it down. You will fall in love with these women’

‘One of the best books I’ve ever read’

‘Utterly spellbinding’

‘This book has my entire heart’

‘It felt so real – I cried at their pain and smiled at their joy’

‘Intricately plotted, wildly satisfying’

‘Epic, in every sense of the word. It completely blew me away’

Publisher Review

Written with the grace of a poet, Memphis is as hopeful as it is heartbreaking. I fell in love with this family, from Joan's fierce heart to her grandmother Hazel's determined resilience. Tara Stringfellow will be an author to watch for years to come . . . A stellar debut * Jacqueline Woodson, bestselling author of Red at the Bone * In luminous, lyrical prose, Tara Stringfellow sings the song of the North women - and the North men - with wisdom, humor, and deep humanity. Memphis is an American epic, a tribute to life in all of its sorrow and joyful resilience * Chloe Benjamin, bestselling author of The Immortalists * An evocative, compelling tale . . . Tara M Stringfellow assembles an endearing and unforgettable cast of characters who find strength in vulnerability, safety in art, and liberation in telling the truth. This is a shining, splendid testimony in the vein of Gloria Naylor, Delores Phillips, Ayana Mathis, and Honoree Jeffers * Robert Jones, Jr., New York Times bestselling author of The Prophets * This vivid debut novel examines the tragedies, joys, and deep connections of one extraordinary Memphis family . . . A powerful family saga from a promising writer * Booklist * This poetic, multigenerational story is set in the ancestral Memphis home a mother and her daughters flee to to escape the father's violence. Spanning 70 years, and told through a variety of voices, this powerful debut novel encompasses race, class, and the legacy of trauma * Oprah Daily Most Anticipated * This beautifully written debut will transport, challenge and transfix you . . . The novel is an ode to the city and the Black women living there. There's a great sense of the women's enigma and enchantment, humour and fortitude * Adele Parks, Platinum Magazine * A stunning debut, a deeply affecting portrait of familial bonds. Rich with indelible black women and Southern charm * Irenosen Okojie *