BEYOND BOURBON STREET
How does a couple survive when the one thing that brought them together threatens to tear them apart?
In Beyond Bourbon Street, Nikesha Elise Williams weaves a story of home and family in New Orleans’ still recovering lower ninth ward. Bombei and Graigh Halvert met in 2006 in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Now fifteen years after the storm, the reluctant couple is married and on the verge of having their first child together. However, their childhood traumas wedge their way between them; festering and threatening to rot their relationship, and the family they’re trying to build, from the inside out.
This tale dissects the mystery and intrigue of first connections against the yoke of familial obligation and the ties that bind. Bombei and Graigh are forced to make a choice between home and family and their own self-preservation?
Set against the backdrop of one of America’s greatest cities, Nikesha Elise Williams, takes us on a journey away from the glitz and glamour the Big Easy is known for, and into the bowels of the city where daily life is a lesson in resurrection, resilience, and redefining what it means to be home.
REVIEWS
“At a human level, this book is an absolute knockout. It’s the kind of novel that strikes at the core of what it means to be a human, struggling to simply be. A reflection for what it means to strive for fulfillment and purpose in your life, even in the face of change. And while you might not fully overcome the adversity, you’re making progress and that’s definitely something worth celebrating.”
“The couple met the year after Hurricane Katrina and the federal levee failures destroyed both of their homes. Their life together runs parallel to New Orleans’ recovery and, although the story stays intimate to Graigh and Bombei, the city can be felt constantly. Issues of race, gender and what equity means in New Orleans subtly show themselves throughout the novel.”