Memorial (novel)
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Short description|2020 debut novel by Bryan Washington}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Memorial
| image = Memorial (Bryan Washington).png
| alt =
| caption = First edition cover
| author = Bryan Washington
| audio_read_by = Bryan Washington
Akie Kotabe
| cover_artist =
| country = United States
| language = English
| genre =
| publisher = Riverhead Books
| pub_date = October 27, 2020
| media_type = Print (hardcover), e-book, audiobook
| pages = 320
| isbn = 978-0-593-08727-5
| isbn_note = (hardcover)
| oclc = 1128065538
| dewey = 813/.6
| congress = PS3623.A86737 M46 2020
| website = {{URL|brywashing.com/memorial/}}
}}
Memorial is the debut novel by Bryan Washington.David Canfield, [https://ew.com/books/2020/02/14/bryan-washington-memorial-novel-preview/ "Bryan Washington on why he's calling his debut novel a 'gay slacker dramedy'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023223926/https://ew.com/books/2020/02/14/bryan-washington-memorial-novel-preview/ |date=October 23, 2020 }}. Entertainment Weekly, February 14, 2020. It was published by Riverhead Books on October 27, 2020,{{Cite web |title=Memorial by Bryan Washington: 9780593087275 |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/621176/memorial-by-bryan-washington/ |access-date=October 28, 2020 |website=Penguin Random House |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028042506/https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/621176/memorial-by-bryan-washington/ |url-status=live }} 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.{{Cite web|last=Simon|first=Scott|date=October 24, 2020|title=Yes, There's Conflict — But No One's The Bad Guy In 'Memorial'|url=https://wamu.org/story/20/10/24/yes-theres-conflict-but-no-ones-the-bad-guy-in-memorial/|access-date=June 22, 2022|website=WAMU|archive-date=February 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229080739/https://wamu.org/story/20/10/24/yes-theres-conflict-but-no-ones-the-bad-guy-in-memorial/|url-status=live}}
Characters
- Benson – Black day care teacher
- Mike – Japanese-American chef at a Mexican restaurant
- Mitsuko – Mike's mother
- Eiju – Mike's father
- Lydia – Benson's sister
Reception
In its starred review, Kirkus Reviews called it "vividly written" and wrote, "Washington's novel is richly layered and thrives in the quiet moments between lovers and family members."{{Cite web |date=July 1, 2020 |title=Memorial by Bryan Washington |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/bryan-washington/memorial-washington/ |access-date=October 28, 2020 |website=Kirkus Reviews |archive-date=November 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103045216/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/bryan-washington/memorial-washington/ |url-status=live }} In its starred review, Publishers Weekly wrote that Washington applied "nuance in equal measure to his characters and the places they're tied to".{{Cite web |date=June 1, 2020 |title=Fiction Book Review: Memorial by Bryan Washington |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-593-08727-5 |access-date=October 28, 2020 |website=Publishers Weekly |archive-date=December 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205015524/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-593-08727-5 |url-status=live }} 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".{{Cite web |last=Schaub |first=Michael |date=October 28, 2020 |title='Memorial' Is A Debut Novel That Feels Like The Work Of A Master |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/10/28/928319380/memorial-is-a-debut-novel-that-feels-like-the-work-of-a-master |access-date=June 12, 2022 |website=NPR |archive-date=September 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929022942/https://www.npr.org/2020/10/28/928319380/memorial-is-a-debut-novel-that-feels-like-the-work-of-a-master |url-status=live }} Ron Charles of The Washington Post 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."{{cite news|last=Charles|first=Ron|author-link=Ron Charles (critic)|date=October 27, 2020|title=Bryan Washington's 'Memorial' is a tender look at modern family life|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/bryan-washingtons-memorial-is-a-tender-look-at-modern-family-life/2020/10/26/e54678e8-1723-11eb-befb-8864259bd2d8_story.html|url-status=live|newspaper=The Washington Post|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221102083307/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/bryan-washingtons-memorial-is-a-tender-look-at-modern-family-life/2020/10/26/e54678e8-1723-11eb-befb-8864259bd2d8_story.html|archive-date=November 2, 2022|access-date=November 2, 2022|url-access=limited}}
In December 2020, Emily Temple of Literary Hub reported that the novel had made 14 lists of the best books of 2020.{{Cite web|last=Temple|first=Emily|date=December 15, 2020|title=The Ultimate Best Books of 2020 List|url=https://lithub.com/the-ultimate-best-books-of-2020-list/|access-date=January 4, 2021|website=Literary Hub|language=en-US|archive-date=December 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215100106/https://lithub.com/the-ultimate-best-books-of-2020-list/|url-status=live}} The following year, it was longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize.{{Cite web |title=2021 PRIZE |url=https://www.aspenwords.org/programs/literary-prize/browse-by-year/2021-prize/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302013653/https://www.aspenwords.org/programs/literary-prize/browse-by-year/2021-prize/ |archive-date=2022-03-02 |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=Aspen Words |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Schaub |first=Michael |date=2020-11-10 |title=Longlist for Aspen Words Literary Prize Revealed |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/longlist-for-aspen-words-literary-prize-revealed/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307022247/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/longlist-for-aspen-words-literary-prize-revealed/ |archive-date=2023-03-07 |access-date=2023-03-07 |website=Kirkus Reviews |language=en}}
Awards and nominations
- Longlist, 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction{{cite web|url=https://lithub.com/heres-the-longlist-for-the-2021-andrew-carnegie-medals-for-excellence-in-fiction-and-nonfiction/|title=Here's the longlist for the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction.|last=Saka|first=Rasheeda|date=October 26, 2020|website=Literary Hub|access-date=October 17, 2022|archive-date=October 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017223043/https://lithub.com/heres-the-longlist-for-the-2021-andrew-carnegie-medals-for-excellence-in-fiction-and-nonfiction/|url-status=live}}
- Longlist, 2021 Aspen Words Literary Prize
- Honor, 2021 Stonewall Book Award - Barbara Gittings Literature Award Honor {{cite web |title=2021 Barbara Gittings Literature Award and Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award of the Stonewall Book Awards Announced |url=http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2021/02/2021-barbara-gittings-literature-award-and-israel-fishman-non-fiction-award |website=American Library Association |date=February 2, 2021 |access-date=February 18, 2021 |archive-date=February 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203151827/http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2021/02/2021-barbara-gittings-literature-award-and-israel-fishman-non-fiction-award |url-status=live }}
Television adaptation
On October 13, 2020, A24 announced it had purchased the rights to adapt the novel for television, with Washington adapting his novel.{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |date=October 13, 2020 |title=A24 Wins Hot Novel 'Memorial' By Bryan Washington For TV Division |url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/memorial-bryan-washington-novel-a24-television-rights-deal-1234596641/ |access-date=October 17, 2020 |website=Deadline |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019152202/https://deadline.com/2020/10/memorial-bryan-washington-novel-a24-television-rights-deal-1234596641/ |url-status=live }}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2020 LGBTQ-related literary works
Category:Riverhead Books books
Category:Novels set in Houston