Memorial

“That loving a person means letting them change when they need to. And letting them go when they need to. And that doesn’t make them any less of a home. Just maybe not one for you. Or only for a season or two. But that doesn’t diminish the love. It just changes forms.” Mike's father gets sick and he flies off to Osaka to mend his relationship with him before it's too late. As he flies out, his mother flies in and Benson finds himself with an extremely demanding houseguest and problems of his own. What a beautiful piece of literature. Its a well crafted plot that tugs at your heart strings. The complicated relationships of the characters make a truly unique reading experience. I couldn't help but dive into Mike and Benson's journey while they navigated through family dramas, grief, acceptance, racism, cultural differences. A Story of love and despair all in one, it was moving, intense, raw, deep and addicting.

The blurb on the front cover of my copy of "Memorial" is by Ocean Vuong, and while his "On Earth we are Briefly Gorgeous" has the greater title, "Memorial" has more of an impact. It traces the relationship between Benson, a black man, and Mike, a Japanese man, but also the relationships they have with their parents. And when Mike travels to Japan to care for his terminally ill father, Benson is left with Mike's mother Mitsuko, whom he had never met before. Benson and Mike are not a particularly happy couple, and yet their connection is very palpable. Both could have romantic alternatives, and among Bryan Washington's great achievements is giving the secondary characters their own personalities instead of just making them foils to the other characters. I won't spoil who exactly he is, but Omar is one of my favorite characters. It is also commendable how Washington does not take anyone's side in any of the conflicts. There are no heroes and villains but characters with clashing opinions. Even though it is very different in the way it is written it is my favorite gay-themed novel since Rebecca Makkai's "The Great Believers". And up to the penultimate page I was quite sure I'd get through the novel without shedding tears. Then the final page came along ... A wonderful novel with characters who are defined by their identities but also their unique personalities.