Memorial

OK I took a chance I saw the interview on one of the morning shows it was kind of excited about the writer and with the book was . I will admit not exactly my type type of book but I took a chance and washed I read the first 50 pages and could get no farther. Although I am sure some will like his style it’s just not for me

Just as Mike’s mother arrives in Houston from Japan, he leaves her with his boyfriend, Benson, in an apartment that they share. Split into three sections, the first and third are told from Benson’s point of view, with a middle section from Mike’s. In the first section, as Mike goes to Japan to care for his estranged father dying of cancer, Benson and Mike’s mother, Mitsuko spend the days rotating around each other, distant by drawn together by their gravity. The middle describes Mike’s experiences in Japan. The third part starts with Mike’s return. This is a book about family and relationships. Mike and Benson struggle as their relationship reaches five years, asking what it means to be in a relationship. With their own experiences they bring a number of challenges to give and receive love. They are shaped by their own experiences with their families, and their interpretations of those experiences. Mike struggles to connect with a father who abandoned them years ago and moved back to Japan. Benson has shut down when his family pushed him out after learning his secret. Food connects all of the characters. From Osaka to Texas, making and sharing food is a big theme of this book. I was blown away by this novel. In the first part, the writing is cold, detached, almost unemotional as we see the world through Benson. But the second part changes the point of view to Mike and we get a different writing style, and a different view of the world. Capturing each character and telling their stories through two different lenses shows how good Washington is. At times neither of these characters are very likable or sympathetic, but it’s hard not to feel their pain and still cheer for their successes. The other characters provide some really fun, humorous notes in this occasionally sad story. The way Washington weaves the past and the present together and develops both Benson and Mike at the same time was masterful. The writing is spare and direct, but so full. Do yourself a favor and preorder this book right now. You will not be sorry. Thanks to Netgalley and Riverhead books for the electronic advanced copy. ★★★★★ • eBook • Fiction - Literary, LGBT • Published by Riverhead books on October 27, 2020. ◾︎