Memphis

Memphis is the city in Tennessee in which the majority of the novel takes place. This is the city in which Hazel, Myron, Miriam, and August grew up. It is the city where Hazel and Myron met, fell in love, married, and created a life together. Not long before his death Myron built the family home here. Following his and Hazel's deaths, August moves into and creates a life of her own in the house. She and Derek live here alone until Miriam, Joan, and Mya move in in 1995.

The city is haunted by the ghosts of the characters' pasts. Because generations of their family have resided in Memphis, the characters are deeply influenced by the city's history of racial prejudice, segregation, and violence. Despite this history, the characters do not leave, as Memphis is their home and they want to fight for freedom and equality herein.

Memphis House