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mxfahrenheit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming and Vomit
readingwithkt's review against another edition
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Sexual content
mochi21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked the way this book was written when I started it, but by the end, I hated it. Same thing with Benson. I liked him in the begining, but once I got to Mike's perspective, I hated him.
It just dragged on and on. I get what he was trying to do, but there were no surprises in this book.
I also don't mind sex scenes, but the ones in this book are extremely graphic, but also sad, and stifled, and angry.
No character in this book is good.
I don't get the weird parallel with Mike's relationship with his parents and his with Ben.
What I do like is this book leaves nothing out. It's like life. You have to do everything. When a door opens, you have to close it. When someone cooks, someone has to do dishes. Unfortunately, this also makes these 300 pages pretty much unbearable to read.
Oh and, by the way, the part in the middle that gives Mike's perspective is one huge 130 page chapter. So there's that.
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship
uncreationmyth's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
anyways make therapy accessible & de-stigmatized for everyone challenge. something something intergenerational trauma & intimacy/attachment issues. i should call my dad.
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Death of parent
mayasophia's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is definitely a slow burn of a novel, what it endeavors to do it doesn't reveal until the last 1/3 of it, but once I was in it, I was very in it. It even got a tear out of me. The greatest strength of this book is the characters. They are fully realized and quite unique to literature. The two main characters are Benson and Mike and their relationship is troubled, but it's also fairly long lasting and so there's an underlying tension of them being unhappy, but also comfortable. Benson is Black and Mike is Japanese and the conversations that they have and the observations that Washington makes about race, as it pertains to both individuals and interracial relationships, are nuanced and interesting.
The story begins with Mike learning that his estranged father is dying in Japan and that is mother is coming to stay with him and Benson, and Mike leaves to go see his father before he dies, leaving Benson with his mother, who he has never met before. Neither man is fully out to his parents and what could have been a farcical situation ends up being a really thoughtful and meaningful exploration of family, the intersection of sexuality, race, culture, and age, and what it means to be in a long term relationship.
The writing was very intentional and I thought the way it was structured, though at first a bit confusing to me, was actually very intelligently done. I loved how when the author switched perspectives, he didn't tell the exact same story just from the other man's point of view, but there were moments when it circled back around to a shared moment that had already been experienced by the other character. I thought that the way that Washington built context around those shared moments was incredibly thoughtful and made for a wonderful reading experience.
Moderate: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse
wai's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual content
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Vomit, and Police brutality