Fiction. Beautiful and violent, sspare and ominous, this wholly original novel explodes mythologies of Southern femininity. Interweaving visceral, atmospheric prose with historical photographs, images and texts, THE PINK INSTITUTION traces four generationsof Mississippi women form their run-down, post-Civil War plantations to the modern-day trailer parks that house the youngest generations. As the impoverished decay of the Deep South expresses itself through their bloodlines, a new impression of Southern history and heritage emerges. The lyrical gravity and singular style of this unforgettable debut novel witll transform the reader in its wake.