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sadhbhprice's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, Cancer, and Homophobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Child abuse, Alcohol, Physical abuse, and Drug use
lordfarquaadhaircut's review against another edition
5.0
absolutely could not stop reading. i care so much for these people who are me and also not me. everything felt so deep and hollow like it was filling me up and scooping me out. in every sense except literal i devoured this book. if i could eat it i would but it’s a hardcover. yum but wow. i’m reeling. what a great read. i was dreading getting closer and closer to that last page. acknowledgments broke my heart. no wonder it’s won like every award. 5 stars. 10 stars. whatever. “there are no wastes. either nothing is a waste, or everything is a waste”
sarahkenway's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Very literary so needed a bit of concentration to read but I quite liked the final section of reflecting on how to know if it's the right decision to be with someone - it was interesting to come back to Benson's perspective after hearing from Mike. But overall this one didn't really capture me.
bethchatsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to like this book much more than I ended up actually enjoying it. The author has so much potential and I loved the main characters especially Mike, Benson and Mike’s Mother. But the plot lacked focus and felt too flimsy. I know this author is more well known for his poetry and maybe this book was just the authors’ way of working out the kinks in his writing style while he was adapting from poetry to narrative form.
I will certainly read anything else this author writes as his character development was fantastic. But the slow nature of the relationship between Benson and Mike was too frustrating for me and they spent most of the novel apart in separate countries which meant we spent more time with filler narratives than their own on/off romance.
Thanks to Atlantic Books, Bryan Washington the author and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
I will certainly read anything else this author writes as his character development was fantastic. But the slow nature of the relationship between Benson and Mike was too frustrating for me and they spent most of the novel apart in separate countries which meant we spent more time with filler narratives than their own on/off romance.
Thanks to Atlantic Books, Bryan Washington the author and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
easyvisionary's review against another edition
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.”
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 against another edition
5.0
Memorial reminded me how much I enjoy stories with swift, simplistic prose that cuts deep. Really fantastic.
bhnmt61's review against another edition
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.
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 against another edition
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