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pulita's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse
elles_bells_'s review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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
I felt like the writing was clever and showed such a deep understanding of human emotion. However I did fint it hard to connect with the characters and I found it hard to understand them. This book was an excellent study in compassion, complex family relationships
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Violence and Domestic abuse
jessalex610's review
emotional
reflective
tense
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
3.0
Some readers said it was funny, but it wasn’t humorous like I expected it to be. Washington explores the themes of family, loss, saying what’s not being said, and the complicated ways people can say “i love you”. It wasn’t was I anticipated, and my eyes glazed over in some parts because it was going deeper that what i prepared myself. I gave it 3 stars bc it’s a well-written book with complex characters, but it wasn’t the right book for me at this time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
kirani's review against another edition
emotional
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Cancer, Cursing, and Homophobia
Moderate: Abandonment, Fatphobia, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Body shaming, Racial slurs, and Classism
armontheroad's review
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
MEMORIAL is a book that has been on my radar for quite some time. When I found a copy of it at my local indie bookstore, I knew right away I had to have it. This is a book I can definitely see people not liking due to a lack of understanding of what exactly Bryan Washington was going for. However, this 100% worked for me!! At its core, this is a story about messy relationships. Yes, there is the discussion of messy romantic and sexual relationships, but that is not all this book is about. There are also messy family dynamics, specifically the conversations revolve around what it means to be a queer son of color and the way your relationship with your dad changes because of this. As a Puerto Rican queer trans man with my own messy familial dynamic, the conversations in this book were so deeply impactful that I spent a solid 30 minutes sobbing between chapters. I can understand why this didn’t work for everyone, but by god, I read this at the exact time I needed it and I will forever be grateful to Bryan Washington for such an incredible piece!! I need to get my hands on anything he has written and I hope that if you give this book a try, you can appreciate it just as much as I did. If we’re mutuals and you’ve read this, please feel free to message me about it!!
CWs that I can't link below: death from cancer, gentrification, being HIV+.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Racism, Racial slurs, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Cancer, Grief, Fatphobia, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
Minor: Car accident and Transphobia
madelinedalton's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Alcohol, Cursing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Fatphobia
abbyjb's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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
5.0
Honestly what a great read! The story is told in two different perspectives: Mike and Benson. The time Mike spends in Osaka away from Benson changes him and his perspective about his father. Benson gets to live without Mike but with Mike's mother, and gets to learn about himself and becomes more honest with his feelings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, and Cursing
Moderate: Body shaming
camprocter's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
3.75
At the beginning, this book reminded me of Real Life, wherein all of the characters are totally hateable and do a lot shitty things to each other.
This book is absolutely like that too, but as it comes together, you start to see that, yeah, they're all total fucking dicks, but also, they all have redeeming qualities and there are little nuggets of gold. In the end, I just felt sad for everyone.
I feel like I hate the content of these books, but I can't bring myself to hate the books themselves? Like, big ups to the authors for writing about the absolute worst qualities of people.
This book is absolutely like that too, but as it comes together, you start to see that, yeah, they're all total fucking dicks, but also, they all have redeeming qualities and there are little nuggets of gold. In the end, I just felt sad for everyone.
I feel like I hate the content of these books, but I can't bring myself to hate the books themselves? Like, big ups to the authors for writing about the absolute worst qualities of people.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Homophobia
dgdrgn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Homophobia, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Violence
alonadadonut's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
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
4.5
This is a book about people who are really bad at expressing love. Like, *so* bad at it. I wanted to yell at the protagonists at least 20 times throughout the book. It was cruel and raw and deceptively dry and I couldn't look away. Loved Mitsuko, what an icon. Would recommend to anyone who likes it when books tears their heart out and stomps on it.
Not 5 stars because the book ends on a sort of cliffhanger and I would prefer to know what ends up happening. On the one hand I understand why we don't get told what happens and on the other hand I desperately require closure.
Not 5 stars because the book ends on a sort of cliffhanger and I would prefer to know what ends up happening. On the one hand I understand why we don't get told what happens and on the other hand I desperately require closure.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, and Racial slurs