“How often do you get to learn that lesson? That sometimes you just lose?”

 Looking for escapist fiction, while steering away from anything truly apocalyptic, can be a challenge these days. I haven’t connected with a lot of science fiction I’ve tried. And the same goes for romance (with the recent exception of books by her and her).  And finding fiction that checks both thought provoker and page turner is even harder. Enter Memorial by Bryan Washington.

Benson and Mike are a young couple living in Houston. The week Mike’s mother is expected for an extended visit from Japan, Mike tells Benson he’ll be flying to Japan to spend time with his dying father.

Told from both men’s perspective, Washington examines the work, sweat, and yes, tears, involved in keeping a relationship from floundering. Mike’s mother sums it up best when she says:

“I’m fluent in fine, Mitsuko says. Fine means f*cked.”

Read an excerpt published in the New Yorker here.