Searching for Place: A Review of ‘House of Smoke’
John T. Edge’s new memoir provides an unflinching look at the South and his home through stories of his journey from childhood provocateur to renowned storyteller.
John T. Edge’s House of Smoke: A Southerner Goes Searching for Home provides an unflinching look at the Southern food historian’s life’s journey from Clinton, Georgia, to Oxford, Mississippi, detailing the continuing presence of his childhood ghosts as well as his triumphant accomplishments and harrowing tribulations—all the while exploring the South’s treacherous, tangled history.
Edge begins in his childhood home in Clinton, Georgia, which was defined by its status as the birthplace of Confederate general Alfred Iverson Jr., a fact that inspired both he and his mother’s draw to storytelling and, in part, their undoings. The home, where the memoir derives its name, is the site of many pivotal moments in Edge’s childhood. His mother’s alcoholism, the upstairs death of his friend’s brother Charles Roberson and a series of recurring robberies come to define land and life in Edge’s eye and ultimately drive him away as he grows older. In a particularly emotional scene, he lists the events witnessed within his “house of smoke,” driving readers to understand his most formative moments and the struggles to reconcile his old home with the one he must create for himself in adulthood.
Readers follow Edge through his time in a fraternity at the University of Georgia, his academic rebirth at ‘Ole Miss and his rise and fall at the Southern Foodways Alliance, never culling the most difficult of his time at these places. And while he explores his own career, Edge provides insight into a raw version of the South that rejects whitewashed and glorified depictions of the region, favoring the often overlooked histories and stories comprising the region that were defined by the Civil Rights Movement and the century-long aftermath of the Civil War. Edge invites us to take a hard look at ourselves and our traditions in hopes of building a better South that acknowledges and rights past ills while moving forward with a lens of progression, inclusion and celebration.
Food also has a significant presence throughout this memoir, as Edge explores the restaurants, chefs, workers and cultures that influenced the author’s passion for food-related storytelling as well as his appreciation for the South’s diverse culinary scene. Detailing everything from rural barbecue pitmasters to world-renowned chefs, Edge paints a broad stroke of the food that defines us, leaving readers with both a new appreciation and a consideration for the stories and practices that existed long before they were given their deserved credit.
Most notably, Edge denies any congenial feelings toward the Southern situation, discussing a raw history and cultural tensions that are often glossed over in contemporary regional conversations. Even more importantly, Edge doesn’t hold back about his own judgements and failures, exposing his history for all to see. This memoir is an important addition to any reading list, providing a powerful perspective on the South of the past and hope for what it can be in the future.
House of Smoke: A Southerner Goes Searching for Home by John T. Edge is out now and is featured on our Fall/Winter 2025 Reading List.
