Structure

The Yellow House is divided into four parts, which Sarah calls “Movements,” plus a prologue and short epilogue. Her decision to call each section a “Movement,” as in musical composition, harkens to the musical legacy of New Orleans, which is the central place in the story. The narrative is structured primarily chronologically, with the exception of the prologue which Sarah writes from the present-day perspective. Each Movement focuses on a specific period in the life of Sarah’s family and the book is therefore structured according to these four distinct eras.

The first section focuses on Sarah’s family history before she was born; the second is about her childhood, teen years, and young adulthood; the third tells the story of Hurricane Katrina (in the year 2005) and its aftermath; and the fourth movement begins in 2011 when Sarah moves back to New Orleans for the second time in...