Review of The Flower Bearers: A Memoir by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

*The Flower Bearers* by Rachel Eliza Griffiths (2026). Published by Random House.

If you’re new here, and stumbled upon this blog through the mythical powers of the Internet, welcome! I know a lot of visitors to my website are people who randomly come upon this website through search engines like Google, but I also do have a lot of visitors who come back. Regardless: my name is Ashley, and I started this blog in order to keep track of everything I’m coming across in the world.

This blog post is interesting to me because lately, I’ve been struggling to get in my reading time. I was working for the longest time as a freelancer and contractor, but recently pivoted to an 8-5 job where I’m in an office. It’s not hybrid, so I’m always at home trying to put the puzzle pieces together of how I’ll get my reading done. I also continue working on this blog when I’m not at work, so the Instagram reels I’m fed about a 5-9 feel too real right now.

Anyways, I am trying to find that time to read here and there. Somehow I’m still on track for my Goodreads goal, even though I’ve been slowly giving up on the notion of reading goals in life. I think they can be a little too much pressure and takes the fun off of reading at the end of the day, and I want to read because I want to stay in touch with literature while also pursuing my side career as a writer.

I’ve always adored Rachel Eliza Griffiths’ work. I remember when I first read one of her poems, and her work has stayed with me throughout the years. I didn’t realize until recently that she was married to Salman Rushdie, which forms the crux of a chunk of the narrative of this memoir.

But when I heard this memoir was coming out, I put in a request at my local library as soon as it came in. I ended up reading the book in one sitting.

Let’s get into the review!

The story of Rachel Eliza Griffiths and Kamilah Aisha Moon, who was one of her best friends and creative souls.

This is a memoir largely about the relationship between Rachel Eliza Griffiths and Kamilah Aisha Moon. They met during their MFA years and clicked fairly quickly, which is pretty compelling to read about. I enjoyed really seeing how they discussed poetry and literature as a whole, especially as Black women in an industry that is often hostile to them.

It also showed to me as a writer how hard it is to get published and make a career out of this. Rachel describes her own experiences and finding home in spaces like Cave Canem, but we often only see the upward trajectory of writers and not what it took to get to that point.

Anyways, Rachel gets married on September 24, 2021, to the famous writer Salman Rushdie. Who is a pretty prominent writer, but Griffiths explains how they met and fell in love with each other. The morning of the wedding she notices that Kamilah is not there, and no one is able to tell her the truth that they know: Kamilah passed away in her home.

The devastation that comes upon learning this reality changes Griffiths forever. The death of her mother was one of the first traumas, but now the loss of one of her best friends and a fellow creative mind is another big blow in a short amount of time. To add to the fire: Salman is attacked eleven months after their wedding in an assassination attempt.

On one hand of this memoir is the story of Griffiths and Rushdie, while the other is her relationship with Moon. I think we can really see how these are interwoven in the story of her recent life and shaped who she is today as a writer, artist, and as a human being in general.

All of this is written beautifully, by the way. I adore Griffiths’ writing in general, and she did not miss in this memoir either!

Overall Thoughts

If you couldn’t tell, I adored this memoir. I only know of Griffiths’ personal life through her poetry, and was interested to see how her relationship with Moon specifically shaped. As someone who didn’t go the MFA route with my own poetry career, I thought seeing this story gave me hope that there is literary companionship and a hope for a publishing career.

All of this is to say that I think this is such a good memoir. I don’t think you need to have a background in who Griffiths or Rushdie are to enjoy it. I feel like there’s a lot to learn about relationships, art, and love through her words here—as well as how we overcome pain and trauma while also not forgetting it.

I say go pick this one up if you get the chance. It’s such a good memoir and a good example of fantastic writing overall.

Follow me below on Instagram, Goodreads, and Letterboxd for more.