Memorial

by Bryan Washington

Blurb

The debut novel from the winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize 2020: 'This feels like a new vision for the 21st century novel... It made me happy' Ocean Vuong, author of on Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous Benson and Mike are two young guys who have been together for a few years - good years - but now they're not sure why they're still a couple. There's the sex, sure, and the meals Mike cooks for Benson, and, well, they love each other. But when Mike finds out his estranged father is dying in Osaka just as his acerbic Japanese mother, Mitsuko, arrives for a visit, Mike picks up and flies across the world to say goodbye. In Japan he undergoes an extraordinary transformation, discovering the truth about his family and his past, while back home, Mitsuko and Benson are stuck living together as unconventional roommates, an absurd domestic situation that ends up meaning more to each of them than they ever could have predicted... Funny and profound, Memorial is about family in all its strange forms, becoming who you're supposed to be and the outer limits of love. NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE SEASON BY: Wall Street Journal | Washington Post | CBS Sunday Morning | Good Morning America | People | Time | New York Magazine | Buzzfeed | Parade | USA Today | Esquire | Harper's Bazaar | Popsugar | Goodreads | Boston Globe | Minneapolis Star Tribune | Refinery 29 | New York Observer | Good Housekeeping | The Week | Bookpage | The Millions | Kirkus | Publishers Weekly

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tanya.ferrell

Tanya.ferrell

Tanya rated a book it was amazing Memorial by Bryan WashingtonMemorial by Bryan Washington Read My rating: 1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars[ 5 of 5 stars ] I really loved this book. I read it in one sitting. I started out loving the characters and main relationship it focused on but as layers began to be peeled back on their history, I also started to understand more about why they were falling apart. So heartbreaking, not in a tragic, over the top way, but in a life way. I was debating between a 4 and 5 star rating due to the ending, but the fact that I'm still thinking about it and want to talk about it and all of the themes this book brought up probably means the author made the right choice.

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