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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
I was going to give each of the stories in this an individual rating. However, the collection really only works as a whole. I liked the collection and felt like it really explored some interesting themes. I don't think every story in this was a winner. But overall, the collection was enjoyable and I'll be interested in reading more Bryan Washington in the future.
Probably closer to a 4 star in actuality, but I was SO excited for this book and I have never been so convinced that I needed to read something immediately. It's a series of short stories about living in Houston and growing up black and coming out and dealing with immigration and gentrification, by a guy from Houston, and all the stories are named after suburbs and streets and neighborhoods of Houston.
This book made me so homesick for Texas, and I never even lived in Houston (the closest I lived was two hours west, in College Station, while Matt was in grad school). Kolaches and Whataburger and drinking Shiner. Harvey and Rita. The Galleria, Minute Maid Park, Rice, Katz's. But this stuff is never more than a reference; you know it or you don't, and I worry that this is going to be a turnoff for some people, that there's no further explanation. It breathes Texas. One of the reasons I loved it.
It's a somewhat dark collection. Not especially hopeful. A slice of life for most of the people in the stories, though half the stories are interconnected with the same characters and from the same point of view. Not all of these stories and these lives were familiar to me, and it was a beautiful read.
This book made me so homesick for Texas, and I never even lived in Houston (the closest I lived was two hours west, in College Station, while Matt was in grad school). Kolaches and Whataburger and drinking Shiner. Harvey and Rita. The Galleria, Minute Maid Park, Rice, Katz's. But this stuff is never more than a reference; you know it or you don't, and I worry that this is going to be a turnoff for some people, that there's no further explanation. It breathes Texas. One of the reasons I loved it.
It's a somewhat dark collection. Not especially hopeful. A slice of life for most of the people in the stories, though half the stories are interconnected with the same characters and from the same point of view. Not all of these stories and these lives were familiar to me, and it was a beautiful read.
I really need to stop reading books that make me feel despair
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Lot is a collection of vignettes detailing the life in and around Houston’s immigrant neighborhoods. Many of the characters are young queer men of color flitting from one rough street to the next, in and out different beds, unconnected yet seemingly stuck in place. Even as the stories weave through various cultures and backgrounds, much of the sentiment remains the same. Struggles with identity and acceptance and stigma. The crushing weight of poverty and gentrification and the endless cycle of trying to get ahead. Familial bonds that are complicated at best, and devastating at their worst. The prose was blunt yet poetic, managing to flow in descriptive beauty while keeping the stories to their barest bones. Much of Lot’s emotional weight falls between the lines of brief dialogue, relying on the gritty, unescapable scenery of Houston’s back alleys to carry the punch. Save for the main character whose story we follow throughout, I failed to see a lot of connections between the chapters, which was disappointing and made the novel feel disjointed and random. And despite the amount of characters introduced, the majority of their stories fell into the same predictable rhythms. Ultimately, I wanted to enjoy Lot a lot more than I ended up doing.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This felt like when you walk around at night and you can see glimpses into the houses around you through their lit windows