![]() ![]() "For me, at least," begins Washington, "when it comes to reading contemporary American fiction featuring characters from marginalised communities, autonomy for a character to make their own decisions – and not only to make those decisions, but to make mistakes and to grow, or to not grow, or to approach one another from a position of affection, or position of love – often just isn’t given to those characters. Speaking with Washington over Zoom, he carefully considers the process of "trying to find which of those moments go into being representative of a larger whole of the relationship."Īs a reader, I have never come across a novel which feels so authentic in its diverse representation and am keen to explore his brilliant multicultural cast of characters. ![]() What is most compelling is how the novel foregrounds its marginalised characters in a way that focuses on the small everyday moments of their relationships and not the traumas that each carries. Benson quickly realises he is being left alone with his boyfriend’s mother, having to reconcile what has happened to the love both men once shared. Mike announces he is off to Osaka to spend time with his dying father, while his mother Mitsuko is due to arrive in a few short hours from Tokyo. ![]() Memorial follows the relationship of Mike, a Japanese-American working as a chef in a Mexican restaurant, and his boyfriend Benson, a Black daycare teacher. ![]()
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