Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Memorial by Bryan Washington

59 reviews

readingwithcoffee's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

One hand I thought the fact this cast is basically entirely people of color (and at least all the characters of note are not white) and their problems don’t stem from racism was very refreshing. However the emotional repression and emotionally stunt aspects of the characters and just how miserable they are (though the writing is very good) both made the book very refreshing in some aspects while frustrating in others. 

Also one hand the two men the book is in the perspective of grew up in hostile environments and the main cast is their families so it could just be what they would find normalized but it was difficult to tell of the novel took domestic violence seriously especially violence involving throwing things? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

meremeth's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It starts slow, and so deadpan, i was worried. But I'm so glad I stick with it, it had me in tears by the end. 
I started off annoyed at both of the lead characters and ended with so much love for them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism and Homophobia

emmelinelc's review

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Abandonment

briannad4's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism

mansinnikam's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

kirani's review against another edition

emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Body shaming, Racial slurs, and Classism

hmbk's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism

Minor: Body shaming, Torture, Violence, and Grief

armontheroad's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

MEMORIAL is a book that has been on my radar for quite some time. When I found a copy of it at my local indie bookstore, I knew right away I had to have it. This is a book I can definitely see people not liking due to a lack of understanding of what exactly Bryan Washington was going for. However, this 100% worked for me!! At its core, this is a story about messy relationships. Yes, there is the discussion of messy romantic and sexual relationships, but that is not all this book is about. There are also messy family dynamics, specifically the conversations revolve around what it means to be a queer son of color and the way your relationship with your dad changes because of this. As a Puerto Rican queer trans man with my own messy familial dynamic, the conversations in this book were so deeply impactful that I spent a solid 30 minutes sobbing between chapters. I can understand why this didn’t work for everyone, but by god, I read this at the exact time I needed it and I will forever be grateful to Bryan Washington for such an incredible piece!! I need to get my hands on anything he has written and I hope that if you give this book a try, you can appreciate it just as much as I did. If we’re mutuals and you’ve read this, please feel free to message me about it!!

CWs that I can't link below: death from cancer, gentrification, being HIV+. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Transphobia and Car accident

madelinedalton's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Fatphobia

abbyjb's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Honestly what a great read! The story is told in two different perspectives: Mike and Benson. The time Mike spends in Osaka away from Benson changes him and his perspective about his father. Benson gets to live without Mike but with Mike's mother, and gets to learn about himself and becomes more honest with his feelings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Body shaming