This is a collection of short stories that are connected. The writing is very good. The characters are well developed. The stories flow well.

Loved these stories wonderfully evocative and insightful, a delight to read. Set in an Harlem high rise with gentrification looming, these stories show the importance of community.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, and the writing style was a welcome change from my usual reading but unfortunately I found that the stories didn’t go deep enough for me to be invested in the characters stories. I’d be interested in reading more of the author’s work but unfortunately this one wasn’t for me.

This one really did not work for me unfortunately. I never felt invested in any of the stories, I did not feel like there was enough interest generated. I liked the writing style so I might pick up more from the author in the future.

I found the premise of the book interesting and tried really hard to read it. Multiple times, I gave up because of the language used. The format of the writing was well done, and I think if I could stomach the language I would have gotten more out of this book. Since I did not finish this book, I cannot provide a full-length review but I think this book tackles some hard-hitting topics that people less prudish than me will be able to better appreciate.

i really loved the style this was written in, it made me feel like i was right there in the building. i connected with the characters and the writing was great

The stories in this book centre around one Harlem community dealing with the effects of gentrification alongside their own personal issues. It's such a cleverly written book as the author uses different narrative styles giving each character their own unique voice. It did take a while to get used to the style ( i imagine it will be great on audio!) but once you did then you felt so much closer to each person, it felt like you were sat listening to their story .

A great collection !

The debut novel, Stories from the Tennants downstairs, by Sadik Fofana immediately made me curious. Admittedly it's far from my own experience having never even been to New York. Still I feel it portrays the frustrations and also energy of this part of the city.

Stories from the Tenants Downstairs is set in a low income housing project at the cusp of looming gentrification in the Harlem neighborhood.The building has been sold and the tenants therefor face higher rents or even the loss of their home. Through a collection of eight connected stories the author gives each resident a way to voice their past, frustrations as well as their aspirations for the future.

Stories from the Tenants Downstairs is a strong example of great character driven story writing. While it took me a bit to finish the book I'd definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to get to know this experience of life in New York.

This was a very good read. Set in one high rise flats in Harlem there are multiple stories from tenants that are linked to each other on one way or another.

I was immediately gripped from the first story. I loved the prose and how it changed slightly for each character or generation. Each character had a very distinctive voice and very engaging stories. I particularly enjoyed the mother who worked in the school!

This is a collection of short stories from different tenants in a Harlem high rise.. I think this is one of the most singular uses of the narrative voice that I've ever read, Each story in here follows a different character in this high rise . It is looking at gentification as a looming presence on all of these characters. Fofana uses a different way of writing in every single story to really lend their voice on the page which I hadn't really ever read before..If you want something that is really character driven and voice forward that is very original on that front and have characters that will really stay with you forever this is a book that I would highly recommend

This was out of my comfort zone but I did enjoy reading, for me this was an insightful read which focused on a part of society that is neglected and ignored. Each story had its own account on the character’s struggles to keep their home. This told tales of people struggling to get money for their rent and external factors that put them in a disadvantage of making enough income; like having a disability, being a single mother, careers being ruined etc. Each story had moments of hope and moments of despair and devastation. I really liked that Fofana wrote about a broad range of people and events whilst being able to intertwine all of the characters effectively.

I enjoyed how Sidik Fofana was able to put you into the perspective of the different tenants through their individual accents and dialects which made each story distinctive to each other. The informal writing did give an authentic style as it was reading about their lives through their eyes/experiences rather than the outside. Whilst I enjoyed the unique style of writing, it did make it difficult to get into each time there was a new story and the lack of speech marks did make it confusing at times but it was something I got used to. 

This is a great debut and would be perfect for people who enjoy books that focuses on the joy and pain of human experiences like ‘Open Water’ and a collection of short stories like ‘Five Tuesdays in Winter’.

Many thanks to John Murray Press and Netgalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this in one sitting and really enjoyed. Set in a high rise in Harlem, these eight interconnected stories feature some incredible characters in a community overshadowed by rapid gentrification of their residential area.

It took me a while to get used to the prose ( I imagine this book would work wonderfully as an audiobook ) but once I did , I was completely lost in this book. The characters lept from the page and were written powerfully. It was impossible not to be drawn into their lives and feel the weight they were carrying. One or two of the stories were slightly weaker than the majority and two in particular were especially outstanding. Najee's story, in particular, will stay with me for a long time.

Exceptionally well written, hard to believe this is a debut. I was fully immersed in this community and its people. An insightful, poignant, informative and thoughtful read and Sidik Forana is a wonderful writer, I look forward to reading more from him.

I got Stories From the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana from NetGalley for a a fair and honest review.

Stories From the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana, is a collection of linked short stories st around an apartment block in Harlem New York city, that has just been purchased by an organisation which want to gentrification it, so is trying to move the current residence out of there.

In a strange way Sidik Fofana has written a collection of stories about humanity as the people in the story are living their lives to the best of the best they can, struggling with school, death of family members and paying bills along with most people around the world.

However this story is based around poor African-Americans, which means that every thing they do is trying to survive in the situation that life has given them. No mater if they are trying to find food for themselves or even having the opportunity to break out of their station in life.

As a reader what worked in Stories From the Tenants Downstairs was Sidik Fofana writing which while being able to capture the humanity of the individuals in the in their short time in the book. What really made it for me was they way that each individual story was almost written in a style that best suited the story allowing readers the impression that they were really looking through the world with different eyes.

While their were times as a reader I felt uncomfortable with the what was written on the page it did feel like Sidik Fofana was using the language of the characters on the page, which added to the stories authenticity, meaning the use of any other language would have taken the reader out of the world created by the writer.


With the authenticity of the writing, stories and characters, along with it genral humanity I would highly recommend Sidik Fofana’s short story collection Stories From the Tenants Downstairs.

Loved, loved, loved. A choral book, short stories about people living in the same house and their struggles and hopes.
The author is a talented storyteller and i couldn't put it down.
Great characters, poignant and compelling stories.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Well this was certainly a pleasant surprise!

Stories From the Tenants Downstairs is a collection of eight interconnected stories from the tenants living in Banneker Terrace, a low-income residential building. We journey through the sheer struggles and push for survival through various characters - Mimi, a single-mother trying to get by her rent every month, Swan, Mimi's baby daddy who lives with his hard-working mother, Ms.Dallas and Dary, a former assistant of Mimi's who aspires to be a hairstylist. We also live through the lens of two children, Kandese and Najee, who struggle with grief and loneliness. Lastly, we meet Neisha, a college dropout who once dreamt of being a gymnast but has to concede by a 9 to 5 job.

The novel thrusts you into the messy lives of these characters, yet portrays the humanity of their hopes and dreams, and the many sacrifices and struggles they undertake to go another day. It is visceral and honest, if not fascinating, What a debut.

Big thank you to John Murray Press and Netgaller for this ARC

Incredible book. A series of short stories that interweave from different people who live in a building in Harlem, NYC, USA.
I must say I'm not much for short stories because they often feel incomplete, but Sidik really managed to capture every single character so well. There was also a change of cadence and syntax for every person.
Everyone was SO vivid in this book and it was funny and deep and heartbreaking.
I cannot wait to see what he writes after this.
I do think because the syntax was unique for some readers, the audiobook would be a good choice. I would def consider buying the audiobook myself.

I wanted to really like this book and I tried reading it two times. But both times I couldn't get past a few pages and finally gave up.

Maybe it was the unusual arrangement of stories? The way it's written? I couldn't sustain my interest in this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Very interesting book. Not something I would usually pick but it’s good to try different genres and I did enjoy it.

I enjoyed this collection of short stories about the residents of Banneker Terrace. The book is well written with some powerful characters. This one will stay with you long after you've finished it.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bannekar Terrace in Harlem is a high-rise building that is home to many on low incomes. The building now has new owners who have plans to develop the units so that they will attract more up-market residents, but first, they need the existing residents to leave and so rents are rising to levels that will result in evictions. This book is a series of eight stories of some of these struggling residents and all are interconnected. They are also told in various styles and voices. But what we do see are very real characters who all have their own dreams and struggles. Written as it is in the dialect of Harlem, I did struggle initially to understand it but managed to get the meaning of most of it. But what comes through is the perspective of a group of people who feel that while life is unfair, they are doing the best they can do. There were two stories that stood out for me. Firstly, that of Mrs Dallas, a classroom assistant, and maybe it is because I used to teach that her story reaches me. The second is a letter written by Narjee, a young lad who is trying to find the right words. A debut novel that brings you eight very different voices.