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mochi21's review against another edition
sad
tense
slow-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
3.0
I wanted to love this book. I tried.
I liked the way this book was written when I started it, but by the end, I hated it. Same thing with Benson. I liked him in the begining, but once I got to Mike's perspective, I hated him.
It just dragged on and on. I get what he was trying to do, but there were no surprises in this book.
I also don't mind sex scenes, but the ones in this book are extremely graphic, but also sad, and stifled, and angry.
No character in this book is good.
I don't get the weird parallel with Mike's relationship with his parents and his with Ben.
What I do like is this book leaves nothing out. It's like life. You have to do everything. When a door opens, you have to close it. When someone cooks, someone has to do dishes. Unfortunately, this also makes these 300 pages pretty much unbearable to read.
Oh and, by the way, the part in the middle that gives Mike's perspective is one huge 130 page chapter. So there's that.
I liked the way this book was written when I started it, but by the end, I hated it. Same thing with Benson. I liked him in the begining, but once I got to Mike's perspective, I hated him.
It just dragged on and on. I get what he was trying to do, but there were no surprises in this book.
I also don't mind sex scenes, but the ones in this book are extremely graphic, but also sad, and stifled, and angry.
No character in this book is good.
I don't get the weird parallel with Mike's relationship with his parents and his with Ben.
What I do like is this book leaves nothing out. It's like life. You have to do everything. When a door opens, you have to close it. When someone cooks, someone has to do dishes. Unfortunately, this also makes these 300 pages pretty much unbearable to read.
Oh and, by the way, the part in the middle that gives Mike's perspective is one huge 130 page chapter. So there's that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship
uncreationmyth's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
a difficult read in the sense that everyone was so real & so human that it was frustrating to see firsthand the hesitation & the disconnect between people's thoughts/words/actions with a clarity that can only come from distance, and only be able to watch each person's part of the story try to unfold with all of the snags and tears.
anyways make therapy accessible & de-stigmatized for everyone challenge. something something intergenerational trauma & intimacy/attachment issues. i should call my dad.
anyways make therapy accessible & de-stigmatized for everyone challenge. something something intergenerational trauma & intimacy/attachment issues. i should call my dad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Homophobia
mayasophia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The biggest compliment that I can give this book is that while I was marathoning the last 100 pages, I was so immersed in the story that I wasn't thinking about *gestures broadly at everything*.
This is definitely a slow burn of a novel, what it endeavors to do it doesn't reveal until the last 1/3 of it, but once I was in it, I was very in it. It even got a tear out of me. The greatest strength of this book is the characters. They are fully realized and quite unique to literature. The two main characters are Benson and Mike and their relationship is troubled, but it's also fairly long lasting and so there's an underlying tension of them being unhappy, but also comfortable. Benson is Black and Mike is Japanese and the conversations that they have and the observations that Washington makes about race, as it pertains to both individuals and interracial relationships, are nuanced and interesting.
The story begins with Mike learning that his estranged father is dying in Japan and that is mother is coming to stay with him and Benson, and Mike leaves to go see his father before he dies, leaving Benson with his mother, who he has never met before. Neither man is fully out to his parents and what could have been a farcical situation ends up being a really thoughtful and meaningful exploration of family, the intersection of sexuality, race, culture, and age, and what it means to be in a long term relationship.
The writing was very intentional and I thought the way it was structured, though at first a bit confusing to me, was actually very intelligently done. I loved how when the author switched perspectives, he didn't tell the exact same story just from the other man's point of view, but there were moments when it circled back around to a shared moment that had already been experienced by the other character. I thought that the way that Washington built context around those shared moments was incredibly thoughtful and made for a wonderful reading experience.
This is definitely a slow burn of a novel, what it endeavors to do it doesn't reveal until the last 1/3 of it, but once I was in it, I was very in it. It even got a tear out of me. The greatest strength of this book is the characters. They are fully realized and quite unique to literature. The two main characters are Benson and Mike and their relationship is troubled, but it's also fairly long lasting and so there's an underlying tension of them being unhappy, but also comfortable. Benson is Black and Mike is Japanese and the conversations that they have and the observations that Washington makes about race, as it pertains to both individuals and interracial relationships, are nuanced and interesting.
The story begins with Mike learning that his estranged father is dying in Japan and that is mother is coming to stay with him and Benson, and Mike leaves to go see his father before he dies, leaving Benson with his mother, who he has never met before. Neither man is fully out to his parents and what could have been a farcical situation ends up being a really thoughtful and meaningful exploration of family, the intersection of sexuality, race, culture, and age, and what it means to be in a long term relationship.
The writing was very intentional and I thought the way it was structured, though at first a bit confusing to me, was actually very intelligently done. I loved how when the author switched perspectives, he didn't tell the exact same story just from the other man's point of view, but there were moments when it circled back around to a shared moment that had already been experienced by the other character. I thought that the way that Washington built context around those shared moments was incredibly thoughtful and made for a wonderful reading experience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Alcoholism
wai's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is so tender and beautiful and there are not enough words to explain or describe it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Alcoholism, Cancer, Infidelity, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual content, Cursing, Homophobia, Racism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Police brutality, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Vomit
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