Scan barcode
zlaza's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I was as blown away by 'Memorial' as some people, but for some reason it didn't quite click with me which was a bit disappointing.
'Memorial', written by Bryan Washington, is about Mike and Benson, two queer guys in a dysfunctional relationship who live together in Houston.
Mike is a Japanese American chef, and Benson is an African-American, HIV positive daycare worker.
They've been together for 5 years and seem to be struggling in all areas of their relationship. To say their relationship is rocky would be an understatement, they're not even sure why they're still together.
Mike's mother, Mitsuko, comes to Heuston for a visit. Mike finds out that his estranged father is terminally ill so he decides to fly to Japan to mend their strained relationship, leaving Benson alone in their apartment with his mother who arrived that same day from Japan.
'Memorial' is a story about boundaries of love - romantic and familial. It's about things left unsaid to people we care about. It's also about becoming who you're supposed to be.
There were parts of Memorial that I found engaging, but for the most part the story felt disjointed and I couldn't connect to the characters.
As someone who has lost a parent to cancer at a young age I should have related to Mike's story the most, but the lack of character development made the story feel very superficial and uninteresting.
I thought Bryan Washington’s debut short story collection 'Lot' was brilliant so I had high hopes for this one.
I don't know if it was the novel, my high expectations, or my reading mood at the time that made me feel so indifferent.
I wonder if I would have liked it more if I picked it up at a different time, or maybe I would have preferred 'Memorial' as a short story instead.
It's very frustrating when you come across a novel that sounds like your kind of read, and it ticks all the boxes, yet ends up falling flat.
'Memorial', written by Bryan Washington, is about Mike and Benson, two queer guys in a dysfunctional relationship who live together in Houston.
Mike is a Japanese American chef, and Benson is an African-American, HIV positive daycare worker.
They've been together for 5 years and seem to be struggling in all areas of their relationship. To say their relationship is rocky would be an understatement, they're not even sure why they're still together.
Mike's mother, Mitsuko, comes to Heuston for a visit. Mike finds out that his estranged father is terminally ill so he decides to fly to Japan to mend their strained relationship, leaving Benson alone in their apartment with his mother who arrived that same day from Japan.
'Memorial' is a story about boundaries of love - romantic and familial. It's about things left unsaid to people we care about. It's also about becoming who you're supposed to be.
There were parts of Memorial that I found engaging, but for the most part the story felt disjointed and I couldn't connect to the characters.
As someone who has lost a parent to cancer at a young age I should have related to Mike's story the most, but the lack of character development made the story feel very superficial and uninteresting.
I thought Bryan Washington’s debut short story collection 'Lot' was brilliant so I had high hopes for this one.
I don't know if it was the novel, my high expectations, or my reading mood at the time that made me feel so indifferent.
I wonder if I would have liked it more if I picked it up at a different time, or maybe I would have preferred 'Memorial' as a short story instead.
It's very frustrating when you come across a novel that sounds like your kind of read, and it ticks all the boxes, yet ends up falling flat.
gloooriahhh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
elledyer's review against another edition
2.0
I was hoping this book would be more cute/rom-com ish but it was a lot darker than I was expecting. I enjoyed the diversity of the characters and getting to see inside the relationship of a queer couple. However, besides that I didn’t think the storyline was entirely intriguing and felt pretty bored throughout most of the book.
jaclyncrupi's review against another edition
4.0
A book of hunger – for food, for love, for identity, for sex, for healing. I loved Washington’s stories in LOT and this novel is exactly what I hoped would come next. It’s a minor point but seeing HIV positive representation in contemporary queer lit where it’s part of the narrative but not the entire narrative is so wonderful. Benson and Mike’s love is complex and imperfect but gosh it feels intimate and profound.
sarahmcgurren13's review against another edition
3.0
I don't love literary fiction, but got this as my Book of the Month selection one month last year to read more diversely. The reason I am giving it three stars and not two was because of the emotion I felt when Mike's dad died. I hated the abrupt and ambiguous ending.
aliceturner's review against another edition
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
totsfions's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Chronicle of a doomed relationship: diversity edition.
sleepylaurka's review against another edition
4.5
it's almost like normal people but make it queer
a slice of life literary fiction is exactly my cup of tea!! memorial was written in a very unique style, with sometimes simple and distilled sentences that give away how turning emotions into thoughts and words can be super frustrating and challenging, leaving much room for reader's interpretation. i loved it to bits — the exploration of modern human relationships, how love shapes and reshapes and changes its forms so rapidly it's hard for people to keep up with, and the difficulties of communication, even with someone you know and love so dearly
a slice of life literary fiction is exactly my cup of tea!! memorial was written in a very unique style, with sometimes simple and distilled sentences that give away how turning emotions into thoughts and words can be super frustrating and challenging, leaving much room for reader's interpretation. i loved it to bits — the exploration of modern human relationships, how love shapes and reshapes and changes its forms so rapidly it's hard for people to keep up with, and the difficulties of communication, even with someone you know and love so dearly