THE BASICS
- Title: Lot
- Author: Bryan Washington
- Genre: Short Story Fiction
- Structure: First-person narrative
Synopsis:
Stories of a young man finding his place among family and community in Houston, from a powerful, emerging American voice.
In the city of Houston – a sprawling, diverse microcosm of America – the son of a black mother and a Latino father is coming of age. He’s working at his family’s restaurant, weathering his brother’s blows, resenting his older sister’s absence. And discovering he likes boys.
This boy and his family experience the tumult of living in the margins, the heartbreak of ghosts, and the braveries of the human heart. The stories of others living and thriving and dying across Houston’s myriad neighborhoods are woven throughout to reveal a young woman’s affair detonating across an apartment complex, a rag-tag baseball team, a group of young hustlers, the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, a local drug dealer who takes a Guatemalan teen under his wing, and a reluctant chupacabra.
Bryan Washington’s brilliant, viscerally drawn world leaps off the page with energy, wit, and the infinite longing of people searching for home. With soulful insight into what makes a community, a family, and a life, Lot is about love in all its unsparing and unsteady forms.
Should "Lot" by Bryan Washington be your next read? Find out in this highly detailed review! (No spoilers, pinky promise.) Click To TweetTHE GOOD
The first and foremost thing I enjoyed about this collection is the heavy focus on minorities of all kinds. When you think of Houston, you typically don’t think of the diversity that lives there. Washington takes time with each story to explore the truths that many communities live with, not just in Houston, but in all areas around the US. These are the stories that need to be told and heard today.
The way Washington writes is a delicate dance between straight forward and elusive. The sentence structure reminds me of The House on Mango Street (which is another fantastic read). The subtly and quickness of these stories makes this book a fast read.
Lastly, Washington touches on many social issues in this book that will make you pause. I love that it’s approached in an observational way where you’re invited to observe the same phenomenon, perhaps through a different lense than you’re used to.
THE UNFAVORABLE BITS
One thing that struck me as I read was that everything is heard about instead of from the characters in distress directly. At first, I found this interesting. In the end, I found the distance kept me distant as a reader. I couldn’t get fully involved in the stories or the characters, which made me rather unattached and slightly bored at points.
Another aspect of each story was that the bulk of interest was in the final paragraphs. We get a lot of detail about characters, surroundings, and situations. However, the interesting emotional content isn’t given until the very end.
When used effectively, this tactic can make an even stronger emotional connection between the reader and the characters. But, for me, it fell flat and felt like an obvious manipulation attempt instead of staying true to the story.
CONCLUSION
I rate this book 4/5. For a debut novel, I’m impressed by the prose style and quality of story Washington brings to the table. These are the stories that need to be heard, especially these days. Perfect if you’re looking for a quick read with a dynamic storyline!
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