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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
The stories in Lot all explore ideas around identity and belonging. The reader gets a series of vignettes, centering around various characters and members of the Houston community that each give a glimpse into the daily lives of these people. Some stories are filled with despair, some with betrayal, or heartbreak -- mostly all of which leave us with a sense of bleakness and defeat. The through-line in all of this is one series of connected stories focusing on the same coming of age Afro-latino protagonist, realizing he is gay, and finding his way not only in the wider community as a whole, but within his own family. To me, all of the stories explore finding your place within your corner of the universe and managing the relationships with those in your inner circle, while also acknowledging past "ghosts" and experiences that simultaneously tether us and repel us from continuing to want to stay connected to our roots. The struggle with this dichotomy, in terms of what has caused so much pain, yet has also been formative in shaping who you are, is what culminates in some of the most memorable and moving parts of the short story collection.
Much (or all) of what didn't work for me is related to the structure of the book itself. Since stories alternated between the one continuous storyline and individual separate storylines, I often found it confusing to keep track of narrators and characters as the stories are told from a first-person point of view. Additionally, the stories have a stream-of-consciousness like quality and do not include quotation marks, which sometimes added to this confusion. Also, as a non-Houston native, it was difficult to connect with some of the geographical or city-specific aspects of the stories, not having them as a frame of reference.
Overall, Lot was a fast, enjoyable read that I ended up liking, but not loving.
Much (or all) of what didn't work for me is related to the structure of the book itself. Since stories alternated between the one continuous storyline and individual separate storylines, I often found it confusing to keep track of narrators and characters as the stories are told from a first-person point of view. Additionally, the stories have a stream-of-consciousness like quality and do not include quotation marks, which sometimes added to this confusion. Also, as a non-Houston native, it was difficult to connect with some of the geographical or city-specific aspects of the stories, not having them as a frame of reference.
Overall, Lot was a fast, enjoyable read that I ended up liking, but not loving.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
j'ai eu bcp de mal à rentrer dedans
Gorgeous, thoughtful, concise— I will read anything Bryan Washington writes.
It’s frustrating because the book is well-written, but it almost seems grown in a lab to win acclaim from places like NPR - it hits every story beat you’d expect from misery porn, told by the not-like-everyone-else narrator who got out. I know that’s not fair at all to Washington, who is absolutely a talent to watch.
dark
reflective
sad
tense
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
Eine meiner liebsten Kurzgeschichten von Bryan Washington ist ‚Visitor‘. Diese hier sind aber auch sehr gut.
3.5/5
I listened to the audiobook and unfortunately didn’t like the narration style the author uses…who narrates most of the longer and linking stories. While there’s nothing wrong with these, I think this collection has made me realize short story collections all by the same author either need to be speculative/sci-fi/fantasy or there needs to be some interesting stylistic choices being made in different pieces. I just think reading a collection of contemporary stories by the same person doesn’t give enough variation to keep my attention the whole way through.
I listened to the audiobook and unfortunately didn’t like the narration style the author uses…who narrates most of the longer and linking stories. While there’s nothing wrong with these, I think this collection has made me realize short story collections all by the same author either need to be speculative/sci-fi/fantasy or there needs to be some interesting stylistic choices being made in different pieces. I just think reading a collection of contemporary stories by the same person doesn’t give enough variation to keep my attention the whole way through.
3.5/5
I read and loved Bryan Washington's debut novel, Memorial, last year. So I had high hopes for his debut short story collection. I think this is a strong collection; its true strength lies in the connecting stories about our (mostly) nameless protagonist. While there were a few pieces about other characters in the city, I don't think they had the same pow that the others did.
Honestly, even though I'm rounding down to 3 stars, I really like what Washington is doing. His ability to carry a single narrative through interconnected short stories pays off.
I read and loved Bryan Washington's debut novel, Memorial, last year. So I had high hopes for his debut short story collection. I think this is a strong collection; its true strength lies in the connecting stories about our (mostly) nameless protagonist. While there were a few pieces about other characters in the city, I don't think they had the same pow that the others did.
Honestly, even though I'm rounding down to 3 stars, I really like what Washington is doing. His ability to carry a single narrative through interconnected short stories pays off.
