Summary
What conversations do you have when you feel like there’s nothing to say?
An emotionally turbulent story that follows the lives of black daycare provider Benson and Mexican-Japanese chef Mike uses this question as a recurring motif of how it feels to be unwilling to discuss the blurred status of a strained relationship.
Amid the most frustrating period of the relationship, Mike suddenly leaves his home in Houston to travel to Eiju, Japan to care for his terminally sick father. Simultaneously, Mike’s secluded and reserved mother, Mitsuko, moves into the couple’s household, which is situated in a predominantly black neighborhood. While both men are thousands of miles apart from one another, communication grows thin and secrets come out.
In his 2020 raw and heartfelt novel, Bryan Washington details the struggles of a troubled couple by using awkwardness, silence, and unanswered questions to bring out the true characters of Benson, Mike, and Mitsuko — all with the eloquence of a master poet.
Review
Novels written in the form of spaced out prose are particularly compelling to me; because there are fewer words expressed on the page, spatial text imagery becomes much more prevalent. In this novel, many questions are left unanswered and both Benson and Mike only tell each other the relationship is “okay”, retraining their true feelings. Washington’s style of prose is masterful in this novel, and showcases the awkwardness of the couple perfectly, especially when the story of Mike’s mother Mitsuko intermingle. I would definitely recommend this novel to readers who are seeking a raw, beautiful story that relies on a deeper level of thinking to understand the plot contained within.
From the way you describe it, this book sounds extraordinary. It seems to go past the surface and dive deeper into what's really going in each individual character. Also, unlike the abstractness of other books, this story seems incredibly realistic, showcasing the real struggles of couples. What an amazingly informative yet concise blog post!
ReplyDeleteGreat book review. The book seems like a unique book with an interesting structure. Additionally it seems like a somewhat unique plot too.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your interesting description of this novel. The book sounds interesting and I will try to read it if I get the chance!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very well written book review. From the way you describe it, it seems that this book did a very good job. Will be sure to check it out!
ReplyDeleteReally nice review! This book seems very interesting and heartfelt and I like how you talk about the authors writing style and how that reflects onto the book and the relationship between characters.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you described this book! It sounds like it's very good at demonstrating the dynamics of the couple's relationship, and how they feel/think throughout the events of the book. I like to read poetry novels like this, so I'll be sure to check it out sometime!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I love the way your summary describes the depth of this novel. I also enjoy reading the spaced-out prose. I will definitely give this book a read.
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