The Yellow House is a fascinating memoir of home and the struggle to find one’s place. Yet, this description does not do justice to the storytelling that Sarah Broom so eloquently, yet powerfully, uses to tell her and her family’s story and the story of a yellow house in New Orleans East.
Sarah Broom comes from a family of strong-minded women born in south Louisiana (Raceland and other familiar areas) who put down roots in New Orleans. Featured lovingly is her intrepid mother who longs to have a home of her own, and finally does so as a result of one of the many tragedies that befall her family. The yellow house in the title becomes home to Sarah’s parents and eleven brothers and sisters. As the family grows, so does the house with additions and other projects that never seem to be finished--or to fit—a telling parallel to the feelings Sarah has about home, her life, and her future.
This is not another story about surviving hurricane Katrina, although that event is an important part of the narrative. As you read Broom’s words, you soon realize that the yellow house is a metaphor for so much more than just a place to live. It embodies the spirit and essence of a family and what yearning, shame, and devastation can do to the soul of a place and the people who reside there.
Rating: ***** Stars (I loved it)
- Helen, Technical Services Librarian
ARE YOU AND THIS BOOK A GOOD MATCH? DISCOVER MORE WITH NOVELIST APPEALS! The Yellow House
GENRE: Autobiographies and Memoirs; Family and Relationships; Life Stories TONE: Moving WRITING STYLE: Engaging; Lyrical
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