Memorial by Bryan Washington

MEMORIAL

You know those books that draw you in so deeply, you feel as if you have physically dived into the minds of the characters, feeling their emotions?

Memorial is an award winning, international bestseller that I read breathlessly. Lauded for representing queer Asian and Black experience, it’s a sharp burst of a book, with stoccato passages and a lot of dialogue. 

You are in the mind of Benson and his boyfriend Mike as Mike travels to be with his dying father in Osaka, leaving Benson at home with Mike’s visiting mother. 

These characters are complex, deeply layered and dysfunctional, dealing with family estrangement, grief, love, racism and society.

There was a lyrical quality to Memorial, that created an atmosphere almost palpable. As Benson’s relationship with Mike’s mother develops through the food she cooks with him, we learn more about what it has taken for each person to reach where they are.

There are moments of dry wit and darkly observational humour, passages of passion and an overwhelming sense of deft emotion. 

Honestly it’s phenomenal. Run don’t walk to get this one – C

Ad:PR Copy ~ Thank you @atlanticbooks for sending this, it was even better than the hype!

Order your copy here.