MEMPHIS chronicles the three generations of women in the North family who are all grappling with their personal challenges and tragedies. Narrated from the granddaughter Joan's perspective, Stringfellow examines how grief propagates through generations, portrays the tenacity of the North women, and celebrates the importance of Black sisterhood.

While the premise of MEMPHIS is captivating, the book is too ambitious in its scope for 250 pages. As a result, some plot points and character arcs feel rushed or underdeveloped. My biggest gripe is with Joan's revelation towards the end of the book, where she processes her childhood trauma in a span of pages. Similarly, a couple of chapter ends with a tragedy befalling the North family while not fully exploring how these events affect the characters. As such, the "tragedies" in MEMPHIS feel like plot devices.

I also have a *lot* of thoughts on how the perpetrators in MEMPHIS are written and the consequences (or lack thereof) they face. But maybe that's the point. Maybe Stringfellow is trying to show the readers how history has never been on Black women's side, and all they can do is pull themselves up. I just wish the book was a 500+ page multigenerational family saga that could give the characters more depth and explore these historical complexities.