''Memorial'' is the debut novel by Bryan Washington. It was published by

Riverhead Books Riverhead Books is an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) founded in 1994 by Susan Petersen Kennedy. Writers published by Riverhead include Ali Sethi, Marlon James (novelist), Marlon James, Junot Díaz, George Saunders, Khaled Hosseini, Nick Hornby, ...

on October 27, 2020, to acclaim from book critics.

Plot

Benson lives with Mike in Houston. Mike goes to Osaka to take care of his estranged father who is dying. Meanwhile, Mike's mother Mitsuko is visiting and staying at his place in Houston, with Benson.

Characters

*Benson – a black day care teacher *Mike – a Japanese-American chef at a Mexican restaurant *Mitsuko – Mike's mother *Eiju - Mike's father *Lydia - Benson's sister

Reception

''Memorial'' received favorable reviews from critics, with a cumulative "Rave" rating at the

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website Book Marks based on a sample of 21 reviews. In its

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, ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' called it "vividly written" and wrote, "Washington's novel is richly layered and thrives in the quiet moments between lovers and family members." In its starred review, ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' wrote that Washington applied "nuance in equal measure to his characters and the places they're tied to." Michael Schaub of NPR called the novel a "masterpiece" and praised Washington's "ability to draw the reader's attention to what's not said as much as what is." Ron Charles of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' praised the novel's narration, writing, "Washington inhabits these two men so naturally that the sophistication of this form is rendered entirely invisible, and their narratives unspool as spontaneously and clearly as late-night conversation." In December 2020, Emily Temple of Literary Hub reported that the novel had made 14 lists of the best books of 2020.

Television adaptation

On October 13, 2020,

A24 A24 is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. It is based in New York City. A24 was founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges. Pr ...

announced it had purchased the rights to adapt the novel for television, with Washington adapting his novel.

Awards and nominations

* Honor, 2021 Stonewall Book Award - Barbara Gittings Literature Award Honor * Longlist, 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

References

{{reflist 2020 American novels 2020 debut novels 2020 LGBT-related literary works Riverhead Books books Novels set in Houston Novels set in Osaka 2020s LGBT novels American LGBT novels Novels with gay themes