Nowhere Is a Place

Bernice L. McFadden, whom the novelist Adriana Trigiani calls "a master storyteller," has crafted a touching novel about a young woman uncovering a surprising family history.

Her spectacular debut novel, Sugar, established Bernice L. McFadden as a writer to watch in African-American literary fiction. In Nowhere Is a Place, she spins a fully realized and memorable portrait of a young woman on a journey of self-discovery.

Sherry has struggled all her life to understand who she is, where she comes from, and, most importantly, why her mother slapped her cheek one summer afternoon. The incident has haunted Sherry, and it causes her to dig into her family’s past. Like many family histories, it is fractured and stubbornly reluctant to reveal its secrets; but Sherry is determined to know the full story. In just a few days’ time her extended family will gather for a reunion, and Sherry sets off across the country with her mother, Dumpling, to join them. What Sherry and Dumpling find on their trip is far more important than a scenic site here and there— it is the assorted pieces of their family’s past. Pulled together, they reveal a history of amazing survival and abundant joy.