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Stories from the Tenants Downstairs Hardcover – August 16, 2022

by Sidik Fofana (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 387 ratings
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WINNER of the Gotham Book Prize * Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award, and the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence * Longlisted for the Story Prize

Named a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Chicago Review of Books, LitHub, and Electric Lit

“A standout achievement…American speech is an underused commodity in contemporary fiction and it’s a joy to find such a vital example of it here.” —The Wall Street Journal

From a superb new literary talent, a rich, lyrical collection of stories about a tight-knit cast of characters grappling with their own personal challenges while the forces of gentrification threaten to upend life as they know it.

At Banneker Terrace, everybody knows everybody, or at least knows of them. Longtime tenants’ lives are entangled together in the ups and downs of the day-to-day, for better or for worse. The neighbors in the unit next door are friends or family, childhood rivals or enterprising business partners. In other words, Harlem is home. But the rent is due, and the clock of gentrification—never far from anyone’s mind—is ticking louder now than ever.

In eight interconnected stories, Sidik Fofana conjures a residential community under pressure. There is Swan, in apartment 6B, whose excitement about his friend’s release from prison jeopardizes the life he’s been trying to lead. Mimi, in apartment 14D, hustles to raise the child she had with Swan, waitressing at Roscoe’s and doing hair on the side. And Quanneisha B. Miles, in apartment 21J, is a former gymnast with a good education who wishes she could leave Banneker for good, but can’t seem to escape the building’s gravitational pull. We root for the tight-knit cast of characters as they weave in and out of one another’s narratives, working to escape their pasts and blaze new paths forward for themselves and the people they love. All the while we brace, as they do, for the challenges of a rapidly shifting future.

Stories from the Tenants Downstairs brilliantly captures the joy and pain of the human experience in this “singular accomplishment from a writer to watch” (Library Journal, starred review).
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Scribner
  4. Publication date
    August 16, 2022
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1982145811
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1982145811
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

Stories from The Tenants Downstairs

Stories from The Tenants Downstairs

Stories from The Tenants Downstairs

Stories from The Tenants Downstairs

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Few writers can inhabit multiple characters with equal intensity and vivacity, and most who can are, of course, playwrights or screenwriters...Sidik Fofana’s debut collection reveals him to have this rare gift."--Harpers

“A standout achievement... American speech is an underused commodity in contemporary fiction and it’s a joy to find such a vital example of it here."–The Wall Street Journal

“Fofana’s eight linked stories overflow with raw humanity… A masterful work, worthy of relishing in a single sitting.”—Southern Review of Books

“Fofana’s debut is impressive — his characters exude life and the different voices stay with the reader long after the book has been shelved.”--The Boston Globe

“Stellar… The characters come alive on the page, and Fofana has such a unique, dynamic voice. It’s a lyrical and engrossing collection.”—The Chicago Review of Books

“Beautifully intertwined short stories...This is an extraordinary book.”—Good Morning America

“Outstanding… Stories From the Tenants Downstairs masterfully paints a portrait of the people most impacted by gentrification.”–The New York Times Book Review

“It’s impossible not to get sucked into this debut effort.”–Essence

“Fofana deftly steers away from stereotypes and into the psychological interior of each character's life. And he does this so powerfully through voice. Each story in the collection is a lesson in how language defines character — and, therefore, reality.”–The Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Fofana acts as both storyteller and anthropologist, brilliantly capturing the scrapes, scents, and spirit of this gentrifying neighborhood… Stories from the Tenants Downstairs aches with powerlessness against tides of gentrification and poverty. At the same time, its boisterous cast of characters seems to embody a new power — the power in telling one’s own story.”—Chapter 16

“The portraits are conveyed in tight-woven, propulsive, rhythmically rich vernacular…A singular accomplishment from a writer to watch.”–Library Journal (starred review)

“Fofana shows an ear for pacing and for evocative, frequently musical language... A striking voice, and his protagonists will linger in readers' imaginations."–Shelf Awareness

"The residents of a low-income high-rise apartment building in Harlem form the beating heart of Fofana’s dynamic debut collection... These engrossing and gritty stories of tenuous living in a gentrifying America enchant."
–Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

“Captivating... vividly and desperately authentic.”
–Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Spectacular.” —Booklist (starred review)

"A collection that will make your jaw drop several times... What a gift Fofana’s writing is, especially now."
–Mateo Askaripour, author of Black Buck

“Stories from The Tenants Downstairs heralds an indelible, inimitable new literary voice... This magnificent collection is not only a great joy to read, it’s evocative, essential art.”
–Mitchell S. Jackson, author of Survival Math and The Residue Years

"[Fofana] has given us a beautiful blueprint for the gentrification story: let it be bold, let it honor the complexities of those who are struggling to hold on... The voices of the residents of Banneker Terrace linger and echo long after the last page."
–Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

"What [Sidik Fofana] does with these stories, and with our beautiful, bottomless American language, is nothing short of revelatory. Buy this book, and prepare to be blasted by the brilliance inside."
–Ben Fountain, author of Beautiful Country Burn Again

“Mr. Fofana has an acute ear and a perfect eye, and he doesn’t rush. This is important American art.”
–Lorrie Moore, author of Bark

About the Author

Sidik Fofana earned an MFA from New York University. Three of his stories appeared in the Sewanee Review. He lives with his wife and son in New York City where he is a public school teacher.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner; First Edition (August 16, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1982145811
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982145811
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 387 ratings

About the author

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Sidik Fofana

Sidik Fofana

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Sidik Fofana is a graduate of NYU’s MFA program and a public school teacher in Brooklyn. His work has appeared in the Sewanee Review and Granta. He was also named a fellow at the Center for Fiction in 2018. Stories from the Tenants Downstairs, his debut short story collection composed of eight narratives about residents of a fictional building in Harlem, will be published by Scribner in August 2022.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
387 global ratings
Stellar debut collection
5 Stars
Stellar debut collection
"...because until then porches was like quicksand. The longer you was out on them, the more people saw you dyin."Stories From the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana is my sleeper hit of 2022. I tried to take my time with this short story collection but after reading the intro I was hooked. The way these stories were neatly interconnected was perfection.Stories set in NYC always warm my heart. This collection takes place in Harlem in Banneker Terrace, a low income building. Tenants are facing eviction due to rapid gentrification. The building is a community within itself and everyone knows each other. Each story gives you a glimpse into the lives of the people that make up this neighborhood and the ways they choose to thrive and survive. I loved that Fofana uses AAVE to give each character a unique and authentic Harlem voice. He introduces you to an unforgettable cast of Black characters with stories and experiences that oftentimes go unnoticed or ignored. Their full humanity is sprawled out on the pages.This collection was powerful in the ways it showed the real people that are displaced when gentrification violently disrupts the lives of those already struggling to survive. There is a recurring theme of choices, the ones people choose or not choose to make, the unpopular and dangerous ones that are made and the ones that are almost forced upon some because of poverty and circumstance. He explores the ways that Black people construct their identities and what constitutes home. Fofana also shows how a failing, racist education system hurts Black kids. The book shows the ways you cling to family, community and hope when the world is violently trying to get rid of you and constantly telling you that you don't belong. "Lite Feet" was my favorite story tore my heart into pieces but honestly every single essay hit the mark for me.This debut was stellar and I highly suggest you add this one to your personal libraries. I am immediately adding Fofana to my auto-buy list. He knocked this one out of the park.
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Top reviews from the United States

Kenya Barbara
5.0 out of 5 stars Review
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2024
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Really enjoyed this one. Each story was so unique. Also loved the nuance and deoth added to many of the main characters throughout the story. Honestly some stories were so good that I needed more! Fave stories were the one with the Para at the school, the boys dancing on the train, and the queer guy/hair stylist. The beauty of this book is that it perfectly captures the many characters, experiences and personality that one can encounter in just 1 apartment building in a big city.
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AMO1234
4.0 out of 5 stars good
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2024
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I enjoyed this book, just wish it was a bit longer and/or we heard more of the characters’ stories. I’d give it a solid 3.5 stars out of 5.
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Dave Schwinghammer
3.0 out of 5 stars Stylistic Conundrum
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2022
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I think the 800-lb gorilla in the room needs to be addressed. Sidik Fofana uses ebonics, which some view as a language, in some of his stories. The problem there is that the reader has to interpret what’s being said as he/she reads. That’s not good; it slows down the story, and the reader is irritated.

Fofana could have used ebonics in the dialogue and made the stories a lot easier to read. They are worthy stories. They’re all about the characters who live at Banneker Terrace, a black apartment building.

In the first one Mimi, a beautician, needs money to pay her rent, and she’s way behind. One way she decides to do it is to charge one of her best customers twice as much to braid her daughter’s hair. She adds a few extra touches to justify what she did. Of course her customer/friend is not happy. But the end justifies the means in Mimi’s eyes.

In another story Dary, who often works for Mimi shampooing her customers, also needs money to pay his rent. Dary is gay, and a friend suggests he prostitute himself. Dary doesn’t want to do it. He comes up with another angle. He will offer therapy sessions instead of sex. But the therapy sessions degenerate into sex, and Dary is ashamed of himself. He won’t come out of his room. Fofana lets that story fade away with Dary trying to come up with another angle.

We also get a story where a young teacher, Mr. Broderick, who went to Harvard and can’t stop talking about it has trouble controlling his class. The narrator in that story is Ms. Dallas who is a Paraprofessional in his class. She thinks she can do a better job controlling the students. Broderick resents her and tells the principal, who reprimands Ms. Dallas. When there’s an actual assault on Broderick, Ms. Dallas doesn’t try to prevent it.

In perhaps his best story, there’s a girl who has worked almost her entire life trying to become an Olympic gymnast. Some of the other girls at Banneker Terrace resent her, thinking she’s acting too white. They give her a beat down, breaking her ribs among other ailments. She’s seventeen and loses her chance at nationals in gymnastics. She quits the sport and college. But she has a job where a group within Banneker represents the residents. many of whom are losing their apartments to higher rent. This is years after the assault and one of the girls who beat her up is now a single parent with kids and needs her help. She most now try to overcome her resentment, and she doesn’t want to.

Many of the other stories are about dreams lost or deferred. In one these twelve-year-old boys make money on the subway dancing for the riders. After a Knicks game they make a bundle, one of the bills turning out to be a hundred dollars. But they screw around and the money ends up down on the subway tracks. Somebody has to go down there and get it. It doesn’t end well, and the narrator no longer wants to dance.
18 people found this helpful
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Jlajoanne
5.0 out of 5 stars Entirely Original Voices in Stories From The Tentants Downstairs
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
To read and hear an entirely original voice is rare. I first learned about Sidik Fofana’s Stories From The Tenants Downstairs from his younger brother and pre-ordered the story collection. When it arrived, I read the first pages. I no longer remember why I got distracted, perhaps because the book is heavy dialect and unusual. But I recently picked it up again, and I bought the audio and…Wow! I listened and read and read and listened to the voices of the characters—Mimi, Swan, Fortune, Ms. Dallas, Juju, Najee, Shemma, Dary, Boons, Kandese, etc--in Banneker Towers in Harlem where everyone is figuring out how to hang on, to live their lives, to realize their lives, to survive in an apartment project that is about to raise rents, evict people or move them into smaller spaces. Their homebase is a connecting thread, that and the high school and the parents and the community. The reader eavesdrops on the innerworkings of their lives, voices with no screens, no intermediaries, just characters talking to themselves and each other, and in the process the reader discovers a very talented new writer.
3 people found this helpful
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Belle
4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging read
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
I really liked the multiple perspectives in this story and the way each one was written as if a different person wrote each chapter. There are a lot of intentionally misspelled words and some unfamiliar slang terms I was unfamiliar with but not to the point of it being unreadable.
6 people found this helpful
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Colorado Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars A book of reality
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2023
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This book is written from the heart and gives a lot of true life stories. Some of them made me sad. The last one really tied up the book with a story about an older guy in the apartment block. I would recommend this book of stories.
One person found this helpful
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Sabine Flury
5.0 out of 5 stars It stays with me
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2023
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Of all the books I read this year so far, this is the one that stays with me. Although I struggled with the Ebonics, it was worth it because of the authenticity it added to the stories and their protagonists. The stories are written with warmth and empathy. I learned a lot.
One person found this helpful
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Nana W.
4.0 out of 5 stars Interconnected stories of NYC
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2023
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Selection for my book club and stories were sad, encouraging and hopeful
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Top reviews from other countries

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jze
5.0 out of 5 stars Keine Happy Endings
Reviewed in Germany on September 4, 2022
Verified Purchase
Die Charaktere sind facettenreich und greifbar. Das lesen hat Spaß gemacht und das Zusammenspiel von Kurzgeschichten, die gemeinsam eine große Geschichte bilden ist gut gelungen. Es gibt keine klassischen happy endings, keine kitschigen Helden, sondern sehr reale, nahe Figuren.
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