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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
A book with so much dialogue but such fractured communication. Saddening in a life affirming sort of way.
3.5/5
If someone asked me to define the word melancholy, I might define it for them. Or, I might hand them this book. In a way, it is a story about all of the things that lead up to someone having a melancholy existence. In another, it's a story about wading through melancholy to find a way to live life again.
For the most part, I think Bryan Washington was successful in what he set out to do with Memorial and I appreciated the perspectives he imbibed into the novel. Ben is black. He is also gay, HIV positive, is pretty much monogamous, has a job that isn't really taking him anywhere and is from a separated family with problems of their own. Mike is Japanese American. He is also gay, is not at all monogamous, has a job that could take him somewhere but doesn't seem to be doing that, and is also from a separated family with problems of their own. Every facet of these characters provides us with unique perspective on their lives, and the areas where they overlap in similar-but-different ways is a reminder that the "gay experience" depicted in this book is not just "the" gay experience, but rather, is "one" gay experience. Similarly, any kind of experience in books is just that - one experience. I appreciated that we got nuanced points of view through both of these characters and that the book was more about life with specific identities rather than a book about an identity and its impact on life.
I've taken stars from this book because it was a bit hard to read at times, seemed to drag a bit in areas, and there were a lot of plot lines that the author sort of took us down but never seemed to lead to anything meaningful. But then again, a lot of this book meanders through events that never lead to something specifically meaningful, so maybe that's the point.
If you're looking for a book that is the typical exposition and rising action that lead to a climax, this isn't it. Rather, it seems like the rising action never really gets off the ground here. It's more of a flat line than it is Freytag's Pyramid. And while it might not make for the most enthralling structure to a book, it does ring true to how we go often through life.
If someone asked me to define the word melancholy, I might define it for them. Or, I might hand them this book. In a way, it is a story about all of the things that lead up to someone having a melancholy existence. In another, it's a story about wading through melancholy to find a way to live life again.
For the most part, I think Bryan Washington was successful in what he set out to do with Memorial and I appreciated the perspectives he imbibed into the novel. Ben is black. He is also gay, HIV positive, is pretty much monogamous, has a job that isn't really taking him anywhere and is from a separated family with problems of their own. Mike is Japanese American. He is also gay, is not at all monogamous, has a job that could take him somewhere but doesn't seem to be doing that, and is also from a separated family with problems of their own. Every facet of these characters provides us with unique perspective on their lives, and the areas where they overlap in similar-but-different ways is a reminder that the "gay experience" depicted in this book is not just "the" gay experience, but rather, is "one" gay experience. Similarly, any kind of experience in books is just that - one experience. I appreciated that we got nuanced points of view through both of these characters and that the book was more about life with specific identities rather than a book about an identity and its impact on life.
I've taken stars from this book because it was a bit hard to read at times, seemed to drag a bit in areas, and there were a lot of plot lines that the author sort of took us down but never seemed to lead to anything meaningful. But then again, a lot of this book meanders through events that never lead to something specifically meaningful, so maybe that's the point.
If you're looking for a book that is the typical exposition and rising action that lead to a climax, this isn't it. Rather, it seems like the rising action never really gets off the ground here. It's more of a flat line than it is Freytag's Pyramid. And while it might not make for the most enthralling structure to a book, it does ring true to how we go often through life.
Wow. WOW.
Bryan Washington captured my attention from the beginning through his writing. The prose isn’t technical but expresses so much emotion.
I love how distinct Benson and Mike’s personalities are; Bensons’s measured and timid nature reflected in his story told in organized and numerical chapters as opposed to Mike’s spontaneous personality reflects his entire “chapter” be a series of events in Japan.
All main and side characters had such great depth; there was so much that was said when reading between the lines.
The representation of interracial queer relationships, divorce, second marriages, people with HIV were refreshing to see.
Experiencing how great “Memorial” is, any future work from Bryan Washington will be an instant read for me. I am looking forward to reading “Lot” (his debut novel) soon.
Bryan Washington captured my attention from the beginning through his writing. The prose isn’t technical but expresses so much emotion.
I love how distinct Benson and Mike’s personalities are; Bensons’s measured and timid nature reflected in his story told in organized and numerical chapters as opposed to Mike’s spontaneous personality reflects his entire “chapter” be a series of events in Japan.
All main and side characters had such great depth; there was so much that was said when reading between the lines.
The representation of interracial queer relationships, divorce, second marriages, people with HIV were refreshing to see.
Experiencing how great “Memorial” is, any future work from Bryan Washington will be an instant read for me. I am looking forward to reading “Lot” (his debut novel) soon.
A beautifully told, raw, and real story about familial and romantic love. Touching on race and racism, as well as being a gay BIPOC, this book was an eye opener for me.
I dare you not to go on a Japanese food binge after reading this. My next 3 books will absolutely be Japanese cookbooks.
This was my first Bryan Washington book. I really enjoyed it. Delightfully bleak with blips of happy memories. Unsatisfying ending, which is exactly how it should be. Excited to read Lot.
This was my first Bryan Washington book. I really enjoyed it. Delightfully bleak with blips of happy memories. Unsatisfying ending, which is exactly how it should be. Excited to read Lot.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Wow I was so sure I was going to love this! I found the characters so unlikeable and ultimately lost interest in them entirely. Gave up about 50% through
After stewing with this one for a day, I dropped it to 4 stars. My reasoning: though we switch between two narrators, they read identically.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
This feels like a short story decompressed.
Here's what I mean by that: Novels work to show us transformations. They carry us through sine waves in a character's life and (usually) leave the character meaningfully transformed.
Short stories are likelier to detail the transformative incident and cut us off before the actual transformation. We can foresee a new trajectory for the character, but we are left to presume rather than follow that trajectory.
In part because both Benson and Mike need a good deal of patching up before they can take the next steps, this novel feels like a stretched short story because we are brought to the cusp of transformation. By story's end, Benson seems ready to speak his truths, and Mike is will no longer be flotsam, but the proof of these changes is still emerging. This novel details not transformation but the progress toward readiness--the patching up or healing--and that process is fitful.
Read a smattering of reviews here and you'll see readers frustrated by the "flat" dialogue and the seeming sameness of characters' voices. You'll see the complaints shouting "no plot" or "baggy narrative" or simply "NOTHING HAPPENS." None of that is true for me, but I see where it comes from.
The characters grow at the speed of life rather than the speed of novel. So much happens in the silence, in gestures, in the thing unsaid or the action untaken. They are both characters who would rather not be observed, which makes the generally voyeuristic act of reading even more interesting here. While Benson is especially reticent, both men are weighted down by residual misery and busted families and the pain of parental love denied or withdrawn. As such, they prefer actions and utterances calibrated to produce no effect, to forestall unwanted reactions. Their spare and tentative conversations and interactions are a series of roads not taken that produce a tension that keeps me riveted, but I understand the frustrated reader on the sidelines shouting, "Do something! Say something! Damn!"
For me, this novel works on every level. I had to put it down halfway through (no fault of the text), and when I picked it up weeks later, every detail was still in place. That's not the norm for me. This novel is subtle but sharp, and I will definitely reread it.
And also Htown forever.
Here's what I mean by that: Novels work to show us transformations. They carry us through sine waves in a character's life and (usually) leave the character meaningfully transformed.
Short stories are likelier to detail the transformative incident and cut us off before the actual transformation. We can foresee a new trajectory for the character, but we are left to presume rather than follow that trajectory.
In part because both Benson and Mike need a good deal of patching up before they can take the next steps, this novel feels like a stretched short story because we are brought to the cusp of transformation. By story's end, Benson seems ready to speak his truths, and Mike is will no longer be flotsam, but the proof of these changes is still emerging. This novel details not transformation but the progress toward readiness--the patching up or healing--and that process is fitful.
Read a smattering of reviews here and you'll see readers frustrated by the "flat" dialogue and the seeming sameness of characters' voices. You'll see the complaints shouting "no plot" or "baggy narrative" or simply "NOTHING HAPPENS." None of that is true for me, but I see where it comes from.
The characters grow at the speed of life rather than the speed of novel. So much happens in the silence, in gestures, in the thing unsaid or the action untaken. They are both characters who would rather not be observed, which makes the generally voyeuristic act of reading even more interesting here. While Benson is especially reticent, both men are weighted down by residual misery and busted families and the pain of parental love denied or withdrawn. As such, they prefer actions and utterances calibrated to produce no effect, to forestall unwanted reactions. Their spare and tentative conversations and interactions are a series of roads not taken that produce a tension that keeps me riveted, but I understand the frustrated reader on the sidelines shouting, "Do something! Say something! Damn!"
For me, this novel works on every level. I had to put it down halfway through (no fault of the text), and when I picked it up weeks later, every detail was still in place. That's not the norm for me. This novel is subtle but sharp, and I will definitely reread it.
And also Htown forever.