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Title details for Family Meal by Bryan Washington - Available

Family Meal

A Novel

by Bryan Washington
André Santana
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
"Achingly and beautifully etched. . . Washington is a generous and gentle writer, with a profound capacity to face the cruelty and pain of contemporary American life while simultaneously offering his characters—and readers—an expansive space for self-forgiveness, hope, and nourishment."—The Washington Post
The ghost of Kai, the love of Cam's life, won't leave Cam alone. He follows Cam from LA back home to Houston, his visits wild, tender, and unpredictable. But Cam has changed, and when he reenters the orbit of his childhood best friend TJ and his family's bakery, neither Cam nor TJ is sure how to navigate their charged estrangement. Searching for a way past all the wounds and secrets—a way to be okay together, maybe for the first time— the pair find hope and sustenance from the most unlikely source.
From the bestselling, award-winning author Memorial and Lot, an irresistible, intimate novel about how those know us longest—even when they hurt us most—can also set the benchmark for love.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    October 10, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593789230
      • File size: 243803 KB
      • Duration: 08:27:55

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from August 7, 2023
      Washington’s tender, melancholic latest (following Memorial) explores the complicated nature of grief and love. Cam, mourning the death of his lover Kai, is back in Houston after spending time in rehab, but he’s still struggling with addiction and an eating disorder. When the bar he’s working at closes, Cam accepts childhood friend TJ’s job offer at his family bakery. Between his visions of the deceased Kai and attempts to ease his pain with random hookups, Cam’s despair is palpable: he feels he is “suffocating from the weight of myself.” At the narrative’s midpoint, the perspective shifts first to Kai’s flashbacks, then to TJ, who observes that Cam’s grief and psychological work in rehab have transformed him into “a weed in the concrete that finally found wiggle room.” TJ’s parallel story is equally consuming, as he navigates his secret relationship with Ian and his budding romance with Noel, a new employee at the bakery. When Noel asks TJ to cook a meal for their family, the two begin a tentative relationship that forces TJ to question what he really wants. Washington brings his tough but fragile characters to life with quietly powerful prose, as when TJ reflects, “I didn’t want to be accepted or tolerated. I wanted to just be.” Readers will be deeply moved. Agent: Danielle Bukowski, Sterling Lord Literistic.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Andr� Santana gives a standout performance in this layered novel about grief and family. Santana portrays Cam, who returns home to Houston after the sudden death of his boyfriend, Kai. As he struggles to find himself again amid overwhelming loss, he reconnects with his childhood best friend, TJ. Santana's narration ranges from numb observation to moments of feeling overwhelmed. As Cam spirals into self-destruction, his voice becomes rougher and less controlled. Author Bryan Washington and Jake Choi give less compelling performances as Kai and TJ. Washington speaks in a monotone that doesn't capture the uniqueness of Kai's character. Choi's narration lacks the emotional depth that Santana's has. Even so, this is a moving audiobook--Washington's incredible prose and characterizations more than make up for his lackluster narration. L.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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