Memorial
A Japanese American man and a Black man navigate their failing relationship in Houston while the Japanese American's mother arrives from Japan and his father is dying overseas, all told through food, silence, and the things couples cannot say.
Themes & atmosphere
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What you might want to know about Memorial
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Mike flies to Osaka to see his dying father just as his mother arrives in Houston for a visit. His boyfriend Benson, who has never met her, is left to share their apartment with her for two weeks.
Memorial (2020) is a standalone, but readers familiar with Bryan Washington's earlier story collection Lot will recognize his Houston settings and queer Black and Asian-American characters. Family Meal is his most recent novel.
Yes. A24 has acquired the rights to adapt Memorial. As of 2025, the project remains in development.
Memorial was written by Bryan Washington, published in 2020 by L´ALTRA.
Memorial is 344 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Memorial takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
Memorial is a standalone novel by Bryan Washington, not part of a series.
Memorial is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.