Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Memorial by Bryan Washington

87 reviews

maybeimali's review

challenging dark 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

3.5

Benson saved it. Mike ruined it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Grief, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Homophobia, Cursing, Death, Cancer, Death of parent, and Infidelity

Moderate: Addiction, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Child abuse, and Homophobia

msteasam's review against another edition

4.0

Had to try this a couple of times to get into it. It's a really great study of relationships - platonic, romantic, and familial.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Death of parent

Moderate: Domestic abuse

stellahadz's review

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

This book started out slow for me, but it did start to pick up in the middle, during the chapters from Mike's POV. Although I wish the author had done a little more with the interesting premise of the book and explored the characters a bit more in-depth, it was an enjoyable read. Washington does a great job of capturing the bittersweet feeling that comes with knowing that a relationship is about to end. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Grief

Minor: Homophobia and Alcoholism

emilysamsharrisreads's review

dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

This novel felt almost poetic in its writing style, it is gorgeous. Memorial presented such the two main characters, queer men of colour in Texac, Mike and Benson as whole, flawed, loving, challenging characters grappling with grief, family separation (both in physical distance and emotional connection), and what to do when a relationship runs its course. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Cancer, Alcoholism, Addiction, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

Moderate: Homophobia and Racism

20sidedbi's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Classism, Homophobia, Sexual content, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Body shaming, Alcoholism, and Racism

philippmk's review against another edition

dark 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Sexual content, Grief, and Domestic abuse

uriah's review against another edition

emotional sad 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? It's complicated

2.75

I'm not sure Washington and I are compatible as author/reader, and that is a shame because his prose is lush. If you're a fan of Sally Rooney's writing you'd probably love this. I didnt dislike it, it clearly moved me a lot because I felt the sadness that was woven into the text but it's not one I'm going to reread.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Death of parent

emminkirjakasa's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.0

 🇬🇧 A realistic and beautiful story about the lives of two men together and separately. 

The perspectives of Benson and Mike are written in a different style, which brings an interesting dimension to the book. Different men and different styles. For me, the differences in styles took some getting used to, and there was a break of more than a month in reading. 

 

🇫🇮 Todentuntuinen ja kaunis tarina kahden miehen elämästä yhdessä ja erikseen. 

Bensonin ja Miken kuvakulmat on kirjotettu eri tyylillä, joka tuo kirjaan kiinnostavan ulottuvuuden. Erilaiset miehet ja erilaiset tyylit. Minulle tyylien erot vaati hiukan tottumista, ja kuvakulmien välissä tulikin yli kuukauden tauko lukemiseen. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Cancer

Moderate: Homophobia

karlo's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Cancer

alexisgarcia's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

this was very good and somehow wholesome. the ending was slightly unsatisfying to me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Classism, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Medical content, Alcohol, Addiction, Infidelity, Cursing, Alcoholism, and Grief