Reviews

Memorial by Bryan Washington

easyvisionary's review

challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

“One day, I was lying on the sofa, dozing, and Eiju just stared. I asked what he was looking at.
My son, he said.
Stop that, I said.
Okay, he said, and I knew I'd regret saying that for the rest of my life.”

carolita1128's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

erinastin's review

5.0

Memorial reminded me how much I enjoy stories with swift, simplistic prose that cuts deep. Really fantastic.

bhnmt61's review

4.0

Memorable characters, absorbing story, and I loved the setup- Mike abruptly leaves to spend time with his dying father the day after his mother has come to visit for the first time in years. So you have Mike’s boyfriend Ben awkwardly cohabiting with Mike’s mom in Houston, and Mike in Japan trying to connect with his estranged father before he dies. There are flashbacks to fill in the early days of Mike and Ben’s romance. The writing is like watching Simone Biles on the balance beam—that good.

I was even OK with the open-ended ending. I should have loved and adored this book. But there were an increasing number of elliptical conversations toward the end that I couldn’t understand, which made me feel stupid, which I hate. I feel like I would understand it much better if I read it again, but there are so many things I want to read right now (including Washington’s new book) that I don’t think I will. Maybe I will come back to it.

lesbiangrandpa's review against another edition

5.0

I finished this in about 3-4 sittings. And was on the verge of tears twice. This is a beautiful insight into so many things: where love that’s lasted a long time is going, who your family is, intergenerational relationships, and so much good food!!!

sandpiiper's review

3.0

benson and mike are extremely well-crafted morally grey characters and their complicated relationship is portrayed wonderfully by washington. at the same time though, i just felt underwhelmed by the development of that relationship throughout the course of the book. 4/5 not enough yearning and musings on love for me

kvmeehan's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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

rachelangle13's review against another edition

3.75

A tad slow moving for my taste, but beautifully written. Nothing is a waste.

holly1855's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed the writing of this book, the dialogue felt very natural and there was a lot to ponder in the things left unsaid. The absence of quotation marks reminded me of Sally Rooney, who I love, so i vibed with that. The perspective changing in each third of the book really changed my perception of the characters and who I was rooting for as we went (which ended up with me rooting for basically no one in the end except Lydia, Bensons sister). I wish it wrapped up more - the relationship between Benson and Mike is basically in the same exact place the entire book. It was so satisfying when Benson finally went off on his family towards the end, but I wish we got some moment like that between him and Mike. Just left me unsatisfied at the end, but overall I enjoyed the book a lot. 

kallmekirby's review

3.0

I liked it a lot. Loved the ending, I teared up - not totally sure why. The 4 stars is mainly for the style and themes, I didn’t ~love it~