(PR product @atlanticbooks) Following his brilliant short story collection Lot, Bryan Washington’s second book is a novel about two men trying to figure out what’s keeping them in their relationship. It’s messy, real, sad, occasionally funny and with the odd heartwarming (without being sappy) moment.

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I liked Memorial but had a slight issue with the structure. It’s split into three parts, two narrated by Benson and one by Mike, Mike’s sandwiched in the middle. I think either shorter, alternate chapters or just one POV would have worked better, at times Mike and Benson’s voices didn’t feel that distinct.

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But I thought the premise was so interesting. So often books centred on relationships address the beginnings or milestones; rarely do we start from one which is on the verge of disintegrating. I found it a refreshing perspective. I also liked how Washington brought in both men’s parents, exploring their fraught relationships. The dynamic between Benson and Mike’s no-nonsense Japanese mother was great, while Mike reuniting with his estranged and dying father was, again, messy yet tender.

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I don’t think it’s as good as Lot, but that is a spectacular collection. If you like flawed characters and in-depth, intimate forays into the inner workings of relationships, as well as subtler explorations of race, family and homophobia, then Memorial should be on your radar! (Although folks who aren’t a fan of the no speech marks approach, beware - I like it but I know some don’t.)