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ClareR (5726 KP) rated Memorial in Books

Jan 19, 2021  
Memorial
Memorial
Bryan Washington | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Memorial is the story of Mike and Benson’s relationship and about their separate lives. They have lived together and loved one another for a few years, but when Mike gets word that his estranged father is dying back in Japan, it seems to come at the right time for their relationship. They clearly need the space to think. Except “frying pan” and “fire” comes to mind. Benson is left to live with Mike’s mother who has come to visit her son, and Mike is propelled in to caring for a dying man, a stranger to him, and running his bar.
It was so interesting to read about their lives and motivations. What starts out to be a purely selfish move by Mike (I felt that he was running away at first), actually becomes a selfless act. Of course, there is the advantage that he gets to know his father before his death, but he is there for him until the end.
Even though Mike’s childhood was much harder, it’s Benson who, to me, seemed to have been more affected by his parents break up. His father’s alcoholism, his mother leaving them and starting a new family, and his HIV+ diagnosis, all added up to a difficult mental space for him. But I didn’t feel that any of this became sentimental. It’s a joint decision when Benson and Mike realise that their relationship is coming to an end.

I really enjoyed this book. Its gentle pace where small acts and occurrences form the bigger picture really appealed to me. It’s an original and engrossing story from an author that I’ll be looking out for in the future.

Many thanks to Atlantic books for providing me with a copy of this book through NetGalley.