New year, new books

Memorial by Bryan Washington (Atlantic, January 7)

I was knocked out by Washington’s debut of short stories, Lot, in 2019. He has a very individual take on the contemporary black experience, his voice compassionate, observant, and tough; often funny, always authentic. For months I cherished the idea that he was my own secret discovery, until Lot showed up on Barack Obama’s books of the year.

, Washington’s first novel, focuses on the relationship between two young men; Mike, a Japanese-American chef at a Mexican restaurant, and Benson, a black day care teacher. They live together, have a good sex life, Mike cooks great meals for Ben, and they’re pretty sure they love each other. But after four years the bond is beginning to feel fragile, its meeting point increasingly grazed. The tenacity of their relationship is tested when