Memphis

Memphis is the first novel by African American author Tara M. Stringfellow, originally published in 2022. Stringfellow’s story follows three generations of a Black Southern family from 1937 to 2003. The narration takes the form of fragments that move back and forth in time to piece together the histories of the women in the family. Memphis is a national bestseller and was longlisted for the Women’s Prize in Fiction.

Tara Stringfellow is an author, former attorney, an MFA graduate in both poetry and prose from Northwestern University, and a nominee for the Pushcart Prize. Various literary magazines have featured her work.

This study guide refers to the 2022 e-book version by The Dial Press.

Content Warning: This guide describes and discusses the source text’s treatment of domestic abuse, racism, racist violence, and child sexual abuse. The study guide quotes and obscures the author’s use of the n-word.

Plot Summary

The book traces the history of the women in the North family throughout the 20th century. The character Joan is the primary focus, but the narrative unfolds the stories of Joan, Miriam, August, and Hazel from 1937 to 2003. Joan narrates her story in the first person.

In the summer of 1995, Miriam returns to her ancestral home in the Black neighborhood of Douglass in Memphis with her two daughters, Joan and Mya, to escape her husband’s abusive behavior. Miriam’s father, Myron, built the family home. Miriam’s half-sister, August, lives there with her son, Derek. Both of Miriam’s daughters were born in Memphis.

Joan loves sketching and painting and longs to become an artist. Her cousin Derek sexually assaulted her when she was three years old. Joan finds refuge in art and pours her whole energy, rage, and grief into her sketches as she navigates her parents’ separation.

Miriam met Jax, her husband, in a record store in the late 1970s. The couple fell in love and were soon married. Jax is a Marine officer and was frequently away. As time passed their marriage grew tense and Jax became violent and abused Miriam. She decided to leave after Jax punched her in the face. Back in Memphis, Miriam resolves to return to school and become a nurse. She struggles to raise her daughters alone but manages with the help of her sister August.

August, Miriam’s half-sister, navigates life as a single mother and tries to cope with her son’s violent character. Derek is involved with the Black criminal gangs of Memphis that plague the community. The police arrest Derek and charge him with murder. August is a successful hairstylist in Memphis and does the hair of all Black women in Douglass. She is also a gifted singer. August abandoned her dream to supervise her delinquent son. The story reveals that Derek’s father was a cruel man who abused his son.

Joan struggles to live in the same house as Derek but finds refuge in painting. She has a strong bond with her younger sister Mya as they always support each other. Growing up, Joan develops her painting skills and clashes with her mother who wants her to become a doctor and achieve financial security. Miriam fears that a Black woman artist will struggle to succeed.

Hazel, Miriam and August’s mother, and their girls’ grandmother, died before Joan was born. Hazel and Myron fell in love and were married a week before Myron went off to World War II. Myron promised Hazel that he would build a home for her. He was always a loving and tender husband. Upon his return from the war, Myron becomes the first Black detective in Memphis. An all-white mob of police officers lynches Myron. Hazel is full of rage and mourns the death of her beloved husband all her life. August’s father is revealed later in the story as a civil rights activist. His name remains unknown, and he is also murdered by a white man.

In 2001, Jax works in the Pentagon, a target of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Miriam worries that her daughters will lose their father and Mya lies on her bed without moving or speaking for days. Jax survives the attack. He visits the women in Memphis along with his brother Bird, for the first time in six years. Jax explains how war and violence affected his character. He apologizes to Miriam and admits that he was a poor husband. Miriam remains strained and contemplates her broken marriage.

One of Joan’s teachers encourages her to apply to the art program at King’s College, London. With the help and support of her aunt August, Joan works on her art portfolio without telling her mother. Her art project centers on Black women. One night, Derek calls home from prison, and Joan and Mya answer. Derek asks Joan to visit him. Mya accompanies Joan and wonders what Derek did to her as nobody ever told her. Because Mya is an adolescent, Joan must enter the prison alone. Upset, she sees Derek as an incarcerated man and realizes that they both carry profound trauma. As Mya and Joan leave, she confesses to her sister what Derek did. Mya comforts her.

August decides to show Miriam Joan’s paintings and she realizes her daughter’s talent. August tells her to set her daughter free and if there was never a famous Black woman artist, then it is Joan’s time to be the first. When Joan and Mya return home, Miriam and August await them with the envelope of Joan’s acceptance into college.