Book Of The Year?

My favorite book of the year (my coworkers are truly tired of hearing me talk about it) publishes this week: MEMORIAL by Bryan Washington. Gorgeous and intimate, with a truly distinct gay romance at the center, this one has stayed with me for some time. Mike and Benson are on the verge of breaking up after four years. Just as Mike's mother Mitsuko arrives in Houston to visit, Mike decides to return to Osaka to visit his dying father (leaving Benson and Mitsuko to bond in what is my favorite potential buddy comedy spin-off). What I love the most about this book is how it shows the messiness of minority parent-child relationships (both Mike and Benson are POC) when dealing with queerness and culture clash—and how these can persist and even haunt, longafter the children grow up. A24 snatched up the rights to this (I’m not bitter at all) and I can’t wait to see the limited series adaptation. 

—Neil Krishnan, Development Assistant