Benson and Mike are partners, but both are unsure of where their relationship is heading. Benson is Black, was born and raised in Houston and works at a day care center. Mike is from Japan, moved to Houston with his parents when he was a boy and works as a short order cook. At the same time that Mike’s mother travels from Tokyo to visit her son (she moved back to Japan after she and Mike’s father divorced), Mike leaves for Osaka to care for his dying father. Benson and Mike’s mother must learn how to live together while Mike is helping a father he never felt he really knew.

I was looking forward to reading Memorial but was disappointed when I finished it. There was a lot unspoken in its dialogue. I felt I had to work too hard trying to figure out what was unstated, and as I got further into the novel, I really didn’t care.