Remembered - by Yvonne Battle-Felton (Hardcover)

About the Book

"It is 1910 and Philadelphia is burning. The last place Spring wants to be is in the run-down, colored section of a hospital surrounded by the groans of sick people and the ghost of her dead sister. But as her son Edward lays dying, she has no other choice. There are whispers that Edward drove a streetcar into a shop window. Some people think it was an accident, others claim that it was his fault, the police are certain that he was part of a darker agenda. Is he guilty? Can they find the truth? All Spring knows is that time is running out. She has to tell him the story of how he came to be. With the help of her dead sister, newspaper clippings, and reconstructed memories, she must find a way to get through to him. To shatter the silences that governed her life, she will do everything she can to lead Edward home"--

Book Synopsis

It is 1910 and Philadelphia is burning.

The last place Spring wants to be is in the run-down, colored section of a hospital surrounded by the groans of sick people and the ghost of her dead sister. But as her son Edward lays dying, she has no other choice.

There are whispers that Edward drove a streetcar into a shop window. Some people think it was an accident, others claim that it was his fault, the police are certain that he was part of a darker agenda. Is he guilty? Can they find the truth?

All Spring knows is that time is running out. She has to tell him the story of how he came to be. With the help of her dead sister, newspaper clippings, and reconstructed memories, she must find a way to get through to him. To shatter the silences that governed her life, she will do everything she can to lead Edward home.

Review Quotes

"Battle-Felton emulates Beloved by mingling a stark depiction of slavery's cruelty with a folkloric portrait of African American culture...A lyrical vision of family reunion brings the novel to a moving conclusion...Impressively ambitious and keening with emotion."

-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Remembered is stay-up-later-than-intended fiction. Its women are enthralling in their three-dimensionality, inspiring and flawed in equal measure...Full of subtle magic, steady resilience, and characters you'll feel like you know, Remembered is a force to be reckoned with. Potently of-the-moment, Yvonne Battle-Felton's novel is both current and able to stand the test of time."

-- "Foreword Reviews (starred review)"

"Yvonne Battle-Felton's Remembered is an enchanting tale of hauntings and redemption. Battle-Felton's vision is epic, her insight is piercing, and her characters are unforgettable."

-- "Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, author of The Revisioners"

"Remembered has drawn comparisons with Toni Morrison's Beloved: both are unflinching and haunting in how they address the legacy of the slave trade. Battle-Felton's voice is entirely her own, however, and this book feels vital for our time...[This] debut is not an easy read and nor should it be. Fortunate are those of us that only experience such brutality in the pages of a book. Afterward we emerge more enlightened with our hearts and minds expanded. Remembered will stay with you long after reading."

-- "Irish Times (Dublin)"

"In style and theme, the most obvious comparison is with Toni Morrison's Beloved."

-- "The Guardian (London)"

"It's haunting and militant and very visceral and compassionate, [a] heart-wrenching story and painful to read."

-- "Diana Evans, author of Ordinary People"

"Vital, important, and humane. Everyone needs to read this book."

-- "Jenn Ashworth, author of Notes Made While Falling"