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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
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reticent, both men are weighted down by residual misery and busted families and the pain of parental love denied or withdrawn.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.
There are so many nuanced moments in this book that really breath life into these characters. It written so casually and dialogue feels like a natural volley.
But Mike and Benson are in such a dysfunctional relationship, it became exhausting to read. We can see where they get their miscommunication from. Part of what makes this book stand out is that they spend a majority of the book apart. I enjoyed Benson's portion because he's living with his boyfriends mother, so indirectly we learn more about Mike. But Mike's journey in Japan, Benson is almost entirely forgotten.
Favorite moment is when Benson stands up to his father in front of his whole family about abandoning him, and they all smile and laugh. His father grin's and gratefully tells Benson it's the most he's talked in years.
I think I found this book too real and mundane. There were some heartfelt moments here and there, but the japan portion dragged for me. Every character has so many walls up, I didn't get enough comic relief or emotional confrontation.
But Mike and Benson are in such a dysfunctional relationship, it became exhausting to read. We can see where they get their miscommunication from. Part of what makes this book stand out is that they spend a majority of the book apart. I enjoyed Benson's portion because he's living with his boyfriends mother, so indirectly we learn more about Mike. But Mike's journey in Japan, Benson is almost entirely forgotten.
Favorite moment is when Benson stands up to his father in front of his whole family about abandoning him, and they all smile and laugh. His father grin's and gratefully tells Benson it's the most he's talked in years.
I think I found this book too real and mundane. There were some heartfelt moments here and there, but the japan portion dragged for me. Every character has so many walls up, I didn't get enough comic relief or emotional confrontation.
This story is less about the individuals, but more about the relationship. Not just with each other, but with family as well. Thought this was a wonderfully written story and I really enjoyed creating my own relationship with Benson and Mike.
i really liked the premise and the characters and usually i love love LOVE books about messed up people and their messed up relationships, but this was a little boring unfortunately. took me ages to finish :(
felt a lot like a snappy gay guy talking to himself but isn’t that the nature of art?
made me cry like a bitch
made me cry like a bitch
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to love this book.
There’s so much here to appreciate: A novel focused on a complex romance between two gay POC characters as they find themselves at a crossroads. They’re muddling their way through their careers while navigating their fractured families (becoming caretakers to the fathers that rejected them) and dancing around the question of “what are we doing?” when circumstances suddenly change and they have to live separate lives for a time.
I loved the format of the book, in which the author adjusted his writing style while alternating between the two characters’ narratives. It was an effective way to flesh them out as individuals and gave a glimpse into how they parsed these monumental yet somehow mundane experiences they go through. I also appreciated exploring the similarities and differences in their identities as gay POC men. It got me to think about all that we inherit in life (i.e., the things we can’t change), how they affect how we’re perceived by others, and how we then choose to play the hands we’re dealt.
And on a more immediate note, I’ve never been to Houston or Osaka, but felt the author brought them to life with vivid everyday detail.
All of that said, I somehow walked away feeling very little investment in the main characters or their relationship. If anything, I wanted more of the “odd couple” subplot of one of the leads awkwardly getting acquainted with his partner’s abrasive Japanese mom. The pieces were there, but sadly they didn’t fit together in a way that worked for me.
There’s so much here to appreciate: A novel focused on a complex romance between two gay POC characters as they find themselves at a crossroads. They’re muddling their way through their careers while navigating their fractured families (becoming caretakers to the fathers that rejected them) and dancing around the question of “what are we doing?” when circumstances suddenly change and they have to live separate lives for a time.
I loved the format of the book, in which the author adjusted his writing style while alternating between the two characters’ narratives. It was an effective way to flesh them out as individuals and gave a glimpse into how they parsed these monumental yet somehow mundane experiences they go through. I also appreciated exploring the similarities and differences in their identities as gay POC men. It got me to think about all that we inherit in life (i.e., the things we can’t change), how they affect how we’re perceived by others, and how we then choose to play the hands we’re dealt.
And on a more immediate note, I’ve never been to Houston or Osaka, but felt the author brought them to life with vivid everyday detail.
All of that said, I somehow walked away feeling very little investment in the main characters or their relationship. If anything, I wanted more of the “odd couple” subplot of one of the leads awkwardly getting acquainted with his partner’s abrasive Japanese mom. The pieces were there, but sadly they didn’t fit together in a way that worked for me.
While I thoroughly enjoyed some of the storytelling and the heart that this book has, it was missing something. I also did not like that there are no quotations when there is dialogue.