Joan's Sketchpad

Joan's sketchpad is a symbol of escape. When she arrives in Memphis, Joan suddenly recalls being raped by her cousin as a child. Forced to live with Derek in the narrative present, Joan learns to rely upon her sketchpad as a form of deliverance. Drawing and painting help her to leave the past and present behind and travel into worlds of her own creation.

Memphis House

The North's Memphis house is a symbol of the past. Almost as soon as Miriam, Joan, and Mya arrive here at the start of the novel, Joan understands that entering the space will unleash the ghosts of their past. Indeed, throughout the novel, the setting forces the characters into encounters with their most trying memories. The author uses the house as way to instigate such psychological conflicts, and to compel her characters towards reconciliations with the past.

Red Shoes