I loved this tender, beautiful book so much. Brilliant characters and relationships and the sense of place is sooo special and wonderfully evoked. Love!

Haunting and intelligent, the prose gets under your skin and the characters even though unlikeable at times really take up space in your brain, long after the book finishes.

I could not get into this book, ultimately it was not form me and I could not finish it. It may be one for other readers

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I’m not sure ever disliked a character more than Mike. Ughhhh. His section was such a slog. I liked Benson’s, even though he was kind of lost in an annoying way. I would’ve loved to have had a few chapters from Mitsuko’s perspective. I’ll read more from Bryan Washington, but I think his writing style is more effective in short form rather than novel length.

Trying to catch up on outdated / old book reviews. I found this quite slow and very character driven which I do sometimes enjoy, however here I just felt I wanted something more.

Thank you for my earc of this book! The us so we’ll written and emotionally intelligent. A complex story about family, love, loss and complex relationships.

Lovely read; sad and bittersweet and moving. Beautifully written. Bryan is a true literary talent, this is a great follow-on from Lot. *queer rep.*

Slow but beautiful read with a pace that matches Mike and Bensons relationship.

Thought provoking, moving and a reminder of how all relationships work.

Thank you for this beautiful ARC.

This is the love story of Benson, a Black American, and Mike, a Japanese American. Starting about four years into their relationships and narrated through reminiscences, we also learn about their respective upbringings. The drive of the story is that Mike's father is dying of a terminal illness and Mike decides to spend his father's last few weeks with him in Japan. This is while his mother is visiting from Japan and is left with Benson, whom she has not met before. The point of view is initially Benson's, then Mike's and then Benson's again. The main themes are of discrimination (be it due to race, sexual orientation, illness, etc.), love (familial and romantic) and illness.

This novel is a mess despite it's polished and studied presentation. When I started reading it I was thinking I would give this book a four star rating as I was getting a very good sense of place (Houston, Texas) and I really liked the unheard voices and experiences it exposed me to. I also enjoyed the gastronomic sideline woven through it.
By its conclusion though my rating was 2.5. I was undecided whether to go for a 2 or 3 start rating in the absence of half points. While maybe it should be a 3 to account for my initial positive receptions of it, given the other books I have rated as 3 stars I really can't put it on the same level with them in terms of my enjoyment,

As I carried on reading, I eventually became so irritated by the unimaginative use of "shit" and "fuck" 4-5 times at least on each page, the cheap tugging of emotional chords without the author doing the work of getting me to that place, the poor characterisation (Benson and Mike read as identical aside from their different circumstances) and finally the disingenuous, pre-fabricated and immature feel the writing has to it. I got the sense that the author's writing is a product of following too closely the instructions handed out on creative writing courses and giving less space to the author's own spontaneous voice. I would also say that the author's relative young age (27 years old at the time of the book being published) may explain some of my impressions. Though I did not rate this book highly, I would not rule out eventually enjoying his future work as there is a foundation of good quality to his work.

Many thanks to Atlantic Books and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fresh, youthful and honest!

Really enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

This book is beautifully paced, with a slow lilt to it that fits perfectly the frustration of the relationships it presents. The main characters, Ben and Mike, as well as secondary characters such as Mitsuko, Eiju and even young Ahmad are well-rounded and perceptively considered.
The book heartbreakingly explores ideas of interiority and the home, allowing the characters to come to terms with their imperfect relationships, both romantic and familial. It is an intimate, frustrating read that ends almost mid-story, allowing the characters the space to work through the things they cannot say, but still feel strongly.

This started strong, but quickly lost momentum. It is a story about romantic relationships centered around the relationship of Benson and Mike, but it’s also about the relationships of others in their lives (parents, co-workers). We don’t get that much insight into the actual relationship of the two narrators so much as we do their individual hang ups. Overall, everyone seems pretty miserable, but for some reason we always get to find out what everyone is eating.

This book is the slow unravelling of two lives. Every chapter is vulnerable and honest and shows how the fear that we all face when it comes to letting go of relationships can be so personal and yet also universal.

I was lucky to read Bryan Washington's Lot last year. I really enjoyed it and was excited to read more of his work. And in some ways Memorial has some similarities. It's set in Houston, there's a fantastic mix of interesting and diverse characters and there's no punctuation when characters speak, which can be a bit confusing to begin with, but doesn't really bother me.

Memorial concentrates on two men, Benson and Mike who have been dating for 4 years and now live together. Things are a bit strained and it feels like they've fallen into this life together without actually thinking if it's what they really want. They no longer seem to make each other happy. Things come to a head when Mike finds out his dad, who he hasn't seen in years, is dying. Mike flies to Japan to help his dad. But in the meantime, his mum is visiting the US and is left in their apartment with Benson, a man she's never met before. After a few awkward encounters, they actually bond over food and cooking becomes their thing. This book made me so hungry, all the dishes sounded delicious!

The first part of the book is told from Benson's point of view. And the second part of the book is told from Mike's point of view. A book full of complex family issues, modern relationships, what it means to belong and reconnecting with places and people.

I have to say, Bryan Washington knocks it out the park with this one. I loved it immediately. Do you ever love a book so much, you feel personally attacked by the bad reviews on Goodreads? What are those people thinking. Anyway, I thought this book was brilliant. Thank you to @netgalley @atlanticbooks for this ebook in exchange for an honest review

Really enjoyed this book, great style and original characters. Read as part of a book club and everyone had lots to say about the themes and made for a great discussion.

DNF. I found the author's writing style immediately jarring. The absence of speech marks, the overuse of expletives... I had a very intense negative reaction to the writing style and so decided to DNF.

CW: domestic abuse.

I really enjoyed this book. It was an eye opening and moving story about queer men of colour. I really enjoyed the story building around two characters.

Just brilliant - cuts into your heart like a scalpel and so brilliantly cleverly structured. Feels so modern, queer and of the moment

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Memorial follows two gay men, Benson and Mike, who have been together for a few years, but are still unsure as to why they are a couple. Mike returns to Osaka to his dying, estranged father, just as his mother Mitsuko arrives in Houston, leaving Mitsuko and Benson living together as two unlikely roommates.

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with Memorial, especially after all the hype surrounding it. While important topics, such as HIV, races and sexual identities are covered, the book failed to interest me.

It was slow and underwhelming, with no plot to speak of, and the characters were dull and boring.

It is also another book, like Sally Rooney's, which does not use punctuation. Why? Why is this a thing now? Punctuation exists for a reason!