Editing to add that after reading some other perspectives on this novel and thinking about them I have a better appreciation for Memorial, Mike and Ben make a bit more sense to me. Still not a favorite but it’s better than my initial rating.

Memorial asks the reader to care about the future of the relationship between partners Benson and Mike, which I found difficult to do for several reasons. The biggest of these for me is that Washington never shows us why these two should be together in the first place. Their relationship is abusive and dysfunctional from the start of the novel, neither seem very happy in it and it seems the best reason for it still being a thing is that Ben can't afford to move out. Presumably they were a happy couple at one time, but we don't get that and it leaves me thinking hell yeah, Ben, go explore a relationship with Omar; hell yeah, Mike, move to Japan. What's the counter-argument here, exactly? Glad we got that suspenseful conundrum resolved.

Secondly, it's hard to perceive much difference in the personas of Ben and Mike. Washington writes them in a similar, almost exact, voice. This makes it hard to see them as individual fleshed-out characters.

Another problem I had with the writing beside a failure to differentiate the character's voices is the way Washington writes dialogue, like it's a constant Socratic exchange, which becomes exhausting to read. Here's three examples taken from just a short section of the novel when I first decided to note it, to illustrate the point:

What kind of guy did you think your son would end up with, I say.
Is that your real question, says Mitsuko, or are you asking something else?

Hey, I say, when are you coming home?
That's the question, isn't it, says Mike.

Later, once he's left, she asks me what's wrong.
Why does something always have to be wrong, I say.

Can't you people just have a regular question-and-answer conversation?! Maybe this is an individual irritation though, I don't know.

What should be a common reaction on the part of the reader though is, "Wait, Mike's mom flies to the US from Japan to visit him for the first time in many years, he doesn't tell her he's leaving for Japan himself the very next day(!) to see his dying father and doesn't know when he's coming back, and so his mom stays and lives in his apartment with his boyfriend who she's never met for weeks and weeks, not knowing when he's ever coming back?" In what world does this happen?

As you may surmise, I had some problems with this novel. ( )

Finally adjusted to the bizarre voice of Benson, with his unnecessary details and observations that had no importance and conflicting thoughts to actions... then it switched to Mike in a totally different style. I didn't care about either character or either story so I stopped bothering.

I simply could not finish this book. I got halfway through and then gave it to my library. The writing style is horrible. It meanders and is totally disjointed. I had no connection at all with any of the characters, except maybe the mother. Other than that, the decision not to use quotations, along with the style of the writer, made it extremely difficult to follow the conversation. As for the story, I didn't see one. I didn't even see one forming. A couple's relationship seems to be on the rocks. One leaves for Japan because his dad is dying. The other is left to live with that guy's mom. While his partner is in Japan, he has an affair with some other guy. I couldn't care less about what any of these characters did.

IMHO, when three things occur, it is time to stop reading and just end it.

1. You don't care about the character
2. You keep looking to see how many pages you have until it ends
3. You dread having to continue reading after you put the book down. ( )

Bryan Washington has a refreshing writing style that captures the relationship between African American Ben and his Japanese lover Michael and Michael’s mother. The book is split into two sections told in the first person first by Ben, then Michael, and then reverting back to Ben. Because the character of Ben is more likeable, the Michael section pales in comparison. And surprisingly Ben’s connection with Michael’s mother, while Ben has gone to Japan to find his ailing father, does a better job of propelling the story. ( )

When I first read the description, it said, "funny." I didn't find it funny or sad.

It was a love story between two guys - Benson and Mike. They have been together for four years. It begins when Mike picks up his mom at the airport and drops her off at his one-bedroom apartment in a lively neighborhood of Houston where he lives with his partner and roommate, Ben. Mike wanted to spend time with his father who lives in Japan during his last days even though they haven't been close. His dad has pancreatic cancer. In the meantime, Mike's mother, Mitsuko, takes over their only bedroom.

Like many love stories, there's drama and this one doesn't go without it. Every once in awhile, Mike's quiet mother, Mitsuko had some wisdom to share. She was no longer living with Mike's father. But when they were together in Japan, she said, "We didn't think whether it would work or not. We just did it."

The author takes the reader into the background of their lives and how they came together. This is a book that can resonate differently with readers.


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