Reviews

Lot by Bryan Washington

lampost15's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

3.75

geraldpdx's review against another edition

challenging

4.0

jake_powell's review against another edition

5.0

Not many moments of feel-good catharsis, nor dramatic tragedies, but instead samples of continuous lives. I felt sad and frustrated by the emotional walls of so many characters, but those small spots of intimacy and tenderness felt all the more significant for their rareness. I don’t think there’s a moral to these stories, and I think that’s why I won’t forget them.

rachel_smrt's review against another edition

4.0

Short stories can be tough but these feel like vignettes in a twisty tale. Really vivid, visceral descriptions of food, bodies, movements, streets, sounds. I've loved his pieces elsewhere. Washington is a really exciting writer.

jambsie's review against another edition

emotional fast-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

4.75

draftpunk's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-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

3.5

kidhood's review against another edition

sad tense slow-paced

4.25

some stories are more artful than others, as in any short story collection, but i'm obsessed with bryan washington's voice. it's so punchy and lyrical without being overwrought. there's an overaching narrative thread that crops up in every few stories (one big story chopped into multiple fragments) that dragged for me until the end when it clicked, but i might also blame it on my distracted reading. would reread in a hard copy.

"This is the furthest I've been from the city, my city, in years, but it doesn't feel like anything's changed, and honestly, why would it. You bring yourself wherever you go. You are the one thing you can never run out on." 

johndiconsiglio's review against another edition

4.0

Debut author Washington is only 27 but his stories of urban Houston have a Junot Diaz-like energy—speeding thrills & sorrows. The characters are a mixing bowl of Black, Latino & white city kids, many coming to terms with being gay. The language captures the beats of the streets (each story is named for Houston blocks like Alief & South Congress), as lives go by in Dollar Tree stores, the alleys behind taquerias & the front seat of a neighborhood drug dealer’s Corolla. (A story on hustlers is the lone false note.) A piercing collection, a writer to watch.

lisaalaskaaa's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

3.5

amyrezende's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75