The Flower Bearers
“This singular memoir stunned me. With a poet’s precision, Rachel Eliza Griffiths renders two interwoven tragedies few others could have lived through, much less written about with such clear-eyed candor.”—Mary Karr, New York Times bestselling author of The Liars’ Club
“Elegant and juicy . . . gratifyingly lush . . . An un-self-conscious conveyance of that time in life when nothing is impossible and dreams are jet fuel—but when everything can also seem dire, and heartache unendurable.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
On September 24, 2021, Rachel Eliza Griffiths married her husband, the novelist Salman Rushdie. On the same day, hundreds of miles away, Griffiths’ closest friend and chosen sister, the poet Kamilah Aisha Moon, who was expected to speak at the wedding, died suddenly. Eleven months later, as Griffiths attempted to piece together her life as a newlywed with heartbreak in one hand and immense love in the other, a brutal attack nearly killed her husband. As trauma compounded trauma, Griffiths realized that in order to survive her grief, she would need to mourn not only her friend, but the woman she had been on her wedding day, a woman who had also died that day.
In the process of rebuilding a self, Griffiths chronicles her friendship with Moon, the seventeen years since their meeting at Sarah Lawrence College. Together, they embraced their literary foremothers—Lucille Clifton, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, to name a few—and fought to embrace themselves as poets, artists, and Black women. Alongside this unbreakable bond, Griffiths weaves the story of her relationship with Rushdie, of the challenges they have faced and the unshakeable devotion that endures.
In The Flower Bearers, Griffiths inscribes the trajectories of two transformational relationships with grace and honesty, chronicling the beauty and pain that comes with opening oneself fully to love.
“Elegant and juicy . . . gratifyingly lush . . . An un-self-conscious conveyance of that time in life when nothing is impossible and dreams are jet fuel—but when everything can also seem dire, and heartache unendurable.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
On September 24, 2021, Rachel Eliza Griffiths married her husband, the novelist Salman Rushdie. On the same day, hundreds of miles away, Griffiths’ closest friend and chosen sister, the poet Kamilah Aisha Moon, who was expected to speak at the wedding, died suddenly. Eleven months later, as Griffiths attempted to piece together her life as a newlywed with heartbreak in one hand and immense love in the other, a brutal attack nearly killed her husband. As trauma compounded trauma, Griffiths realized that in order to survive her grief, she would need to mourn not only her friend, but the woman she had been on her wedding day, a woman who had also died that day.
In the process of rebuilding a self, Griffiths chronicles her friendship with Moon, the seventeen years since their meeting at Sarah Lawrence College. Together, they embraced their literary foremothers—Lucille Clifton, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, to name a few—and fought to embrace themselves as poets, artists, and Black women. Alongside this unbreakable bond, Griffiths weaves the story of her relationship with Rushdie, of the challenges they have faced and the unshakeable devotion that endures.
In The Flower Bearers, Griffiths inscribes the trajectories of two transformational relationships with grace and honesty, chronicling the beauty and pain that comes with opening oneself fully to love.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Rachael Eliza Griffith’s memoir begins on the day she marries the celebrated novelist Salman Rushdie. That day of joy turns to heartache when her best friend and chosen sister dies. This event forever changes the woman Griffith had been, and the memoir is as much about grieving for this lost self as it is about her broader life.
Many can relate to a loss that changes the color of life. The day-to-day living of it and the internal rotation that turned us into a different person, one who has experienced the reality of existence. That one day it will end for us and for those we love. On some level, we might imagine being able to return to the place before. In this memoir, Griffith mourns that woman who examines the henna art on her arm, anticipating her new life begins before the tragic news is delivered. It will also provide interesting information about her life and growth as a woman, professional, and wife.
This memoir will appeal to those who follow both Griffith and Rushdie’s careers and to those who might find comfort in hearing her story of loss and renewal.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.