I'm sad I'm disappointed. This is the relationship story of Benson and Mike, two gay men of color -- certainly representation there is too little of in contemporary literary fiction. There were things I liked here but the writing was often dull and flat, and I think the author made his two main characters too similar (father rejection issues, feisty moms). The last third had some well-written emotional payoff, but it wasn't enough to balance all that came before.

Memorial is a story about relationships of all kinds, new and old, romantic and famlial. The two main characters, Benson and Mike, are in a tough place in their relationship. Do they stay together or move on?

At the start of the book Mike rushes off to Japan, to spend time with his estranged father, who is dying. At the same time that his mother arrives from Japan and Benson is left wondering what their future holds. Mike`s mother and Ben both feel abandoned and shocked by Mike`s departure

As time passes in the book old cracks in relationships are mended between both father and son. The men are also contemplating the other from afar, but are not sure how to move on. Do they stay together or break up? Bryan Washington`s novel is about contemplation, reflection, love, and loss.

Memorial is a book about relationships. As a single mom of a boy, the father/son one was the most intriguing, unwavering dedication regardless of history and circumstances. It also weaves in gay partners, mother/son, family, others. From routinely moving from current to past, the author reveals the how, why, when and where these relationships developed, mostly in a dysfunctional way. Some of the relationships were curiously difficult to interpret. in the end, I felt like I had arrived at the cliff's edge and didn't quite know what happened. I wanted to read about the book for someone to tell me. Then mulling over how the author's style, I decided I did see a slight glimpse into the future concluding with the current, but I'm not sure. See what you think!!

This started strong but lost me after the first section. The clipped, zippy writing style makes it a quick read. You also might "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous."

The writing flows so naturally, intimately and delicately, like a narrative meringue. I thought this book was so sweet and enjoyable.

This book is sneaky in its goodness. As more skilled reviewers than me have noted, Memorial is superb in its observation and descriptions of the mundanity of life and our interpersonal relationships as humans. I was enjoying the book pretty well in the first half, and the change of perspective from one main character to the next brought the book to another level for me, a reminder that there are AT LEAST two sides to every story, every interaction. In addition to his well drawn characters, Bryan Washington brings Houston (and Osaka, Japan) to life in a fantastic debut novel. Highly recommended!

I listened to an advanced copy of this novel, and I loved it. It's a very human, character-driven story about two men possibly on the verge of ending their relationship when one decides to travel to Japan to see his estranged, dying father just as his mother arrives from Japan, leaving his Black boyfriend staying in their apartment with the mother.

RIYL Real Life, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Japan, dysfunctional relationships.