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Palaver: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 4 Nov 25A life-affirming novel of family, mending, and how we learn to love, from the award-winning Bryan Washington.
In Tokyo, the son works as an English tutor, drinking his nights away with friends at a gay bar. He’s entangled in a sexual relationship with a married man, and while he has built a chosen family in Japan, he is estranged from his family in Houston, particularly his mother, whose preference for the son’s oft-troubled homophobic brother, Chris, pushed him to leave home. Then, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, ten years since they’ve last seen each other, the mother arrives uninvited on his doorstep.
Separated only by the son’s cat, Taro, the two of them bristle against each other immediately. The mother, wrestling with memories of her youth in Jamaica and her own complicated brother, works to reconcile her good intentions with her missteps. The son struggles to forgive. But as life begins to steer them in unexpected directions� the mother to a tentative friendship with a local bistro owner, and the son to cautiously getting to know a new patron of the bar—the two of them begin to see each other more clearly. Sharing meals and conversations and an eventful trip to Nara, both mother and son try the best they can to define where “home� really is—and whether they can find it even in each other.
Written with understated humor and an open heart, moving through past and present and across Houston, Jamaica, and Japan, Bryan Washington’s Palaver is an intricate story of family, love, and the beauty of a life among others.
In Tokyo, the son works as an English tutor, drinking his nights away with friends at a gay bar. He’s entangled in a sexual relationship with a married man, and while he has built a chosen family in Japan, he is estranged from his family in Houston, particularly his mother, whose preference for the son’s oft-troubled homophobic brother, Chris, pushed him to leave home. Then, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, ten years since they’ve last seen each other, the mother arrives uninvited on his doorstep.
Separated only by the son’s cat, Taro, the two of them bristle against each other immediately. The mother, wrestling with memories of her youth in Jamaica and her own complicated brother, works to reconcile her good intentions with her missteps. The son struggles to forgive. But as life begins to steer them in unexpected directions� the mother to a tentative friendship with a local bistro owner, and the son to cautiously getting to know a new patron of the bar—the two of them begin to see each other more clearly. Sharing meals and conversations and an eventful trip to Nara, both mother and son try the best they can to define where “home� really is—and whether they can find it even in each other.
Written with understated humor and an open heart, moving through past and present and across Houston, Jamaica, and Japan, Bryan Washington’s Palaver is an intricate story of family, love, and the beauty of a life among others.
336 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication November 4, 2025
400 people want to read
About the author
Bryan Washington
12Ìýbooks1,356ÌýfollowersBryan Washington is an American writer. He published his debut short story collection, Lot, in 2019 and a novel, Memorial, in 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Shelved as 'owned-tbr'
March 26, 2025I NEED THIS BOOK IN MY HANDS
Edit 26/3/2025- Received the arc. Nobody talk to me. See my previous reviews of Bryan Washington's Novels.
1. Memorial review
2. Family Meal review
Edit 26/3/2025- Received the arc. Nobody talk to me. See my previous reviews of Bryan Washington's Novels.
1. Memorial review
2. Family Meal review
March 28, 2025
At this point, if you’ve read one Bryan Washington book, you’ve read them all, good and bad. In Palaver, we follow “the son� and “the mother� (the Holy Spirit may appear in a direct sequel) as you’re led into this strained relationship. We learn slowly what’s led to these two feeling so distant (beyond geography � the mother visits Japan from Houston) over the 300+ pages to mixed results.
Like Washington’s “Memorial� from a few years back, we’re joining characters who are in the midst of falling apart and potentially coming together. It works here most of the time, but in other moments, feels hollow and stilted. There are other characters here too who are sometimes more interesting but don’t stick around much. Washington also continues his “no quotation marks� and flipping between past and present without warning from his other work. Mileage will vary here. Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for this (very early) ARC.
Like Washington’s “Memorial� from a few years back, we’re joining characters who are in the midst of falling apart and potentially coming together. It works here most of the time, but in other moments, feels hollow and stilted. There are other characters here too who are sometimes more interesting but don’t stick around much. Washington also continues his “no quotation marks� and flipping between past and present without warning from his other work. Mileage will vary here. Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for this (very early) ARC.
March 26, 2025
I’m genuinely torn on this one. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. If Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ allowed half ratings, this would be the first time I’d use one. I’m stuck somewhere between a 2.5 and 3.
The writing is minimal and distant, relying on short dialogue and subtle hints at the characters� emotions rather than fully exploring them. The two main characters are never named, they’re only referred to only as “the mother� and “the son�. Maybe to keep the focus on their strained relationship? While their dynamic is somewhat compelling, the detached writing style made it hard to connect with them. At times, it felt more observational, as if watching their interactions from a distance rather than experiencing them firsthand.
The story shifts between past and present without warning, which does add a raw, memory like feel. But at times, the transitions feel abrupt and I personally thought they could have been smoother. The side characters felt more like background figures, existing only within their conversations. There is little backstory to them, and I found it made the story feel a bit hollow. I didn’t necessarily need more insight into the side characters themselves. But I would have liked more context about the main character’s relationship with them. Something to make their presence more meaningful.
That said, I really enjoyed the slice-of-life photos of Japan between chapters. They added a nice touch of grounding, and a visual reminder of the world the characters inhabit. In contrast to the fragmented narrative, they helped set the atmosphere and made the story feel more tangible. Plus, I really just like photos with a film feel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC!
The writing is minimal and distant, relying on short dialogue and subtle hints at the characters� emotions rather than fully exploring them. The two main characters are never named, they’re only referred to only as “the mother� and “the son�. Maybe to keep the focus on their strained relationship? While their dynamic is somewhat compelling, the detached writing style made it hard to connect with them. At times, it felt more observational, as if watching their interactions from a distance rather than experiencing them firsthand.
The story shifts between past and present without warning, which does add a raw, memory like feel. But at times, the transitions feel abrupt and I personally thought they could have been smoother. The side characters felt more like background figures, existing only within their conversations. There is little backstory to them, and I found it made the story feel a bit hollow. I didn’t necessarily need more insight into the side characters themselves. But I would have liked more context about the main character’s relationship with them. Something to make their presence more meaningful.
That said, I really enjoyed the slice-of-life photos of Japan between chapters. They added a nice touch of grounding, and a visual reminder of the world the characters inhabit. In contrast to the fragmented narrative, they helped set the atmosphere and made the story feel more tangible. Plus, I really just like photos with a film feel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC!
April 7, 2025
Thank you very much to the publisher for providing me an advanced review copy of this book.
A son, a mother. Both a bit broken by the other, Palaver is a documentation of the first step in the healing process and how we find home in others. This ended up being slightly different from what I expected, but it was still a quite enjoyable read.
The son lives in Tokyo. Originally from Texas, the child of Jamaican immigrants, he felt that he had no choice but to leave. Has father dead, his brother broken from war, and his mother has seemingly made her choice. So the son leaves. He tries to make a new home as far away from his old one as possible, and he does find his people in the Tokyo queer community. Some are other immigrants, some are locals, but all have a part of themselves to share with the son. The mother arrives with next to no warning. It has been years since she has seen her son, so she makes the time to see him, arriving in a new place she's never really dreamed of going to and without a plan for when she's there. Tokyo may be new to her, but finding herself in a new place unexpectedly is not. She left Jamaica when she was a young adult with her friends, leaving her brother behind. A brother she cared so deeply about, and who reminds her of her son. These are the things she wants to talk to her son about, but his heart is just too hurt. He struggles with accommodating his mother unexpectedly, reigning in his feelings of animosity, and wrestling with complications with his life in Tokyo, and the mother is doing nothing to help him, as she harbors pains of her own. As the mother's trip unfolds, confessions and pleas come to light, and both the mother and the son can't help but come out of it changed people.
If I were to use one word to describe this book, it would be "intimate". This was a deeply intimate lens into two peoples lives from their childhood to current day. We got to spend a lot of time with each of them, and watch them as they wrestle with their stormy thoughts and emotions, both hurting and healing the other time and time again. I was expecting this to be a book solely about the resolution, or destruction, of the relationship between the son and the mother, but we got so much more. In fact, the majority of this book the son and the mother were not together, each spending time apart and wrestling with their emotions. And this is something that I think could have been a bit better.
The son was hurt, I really get that. We spend a lot of time with him in the present day reflecting on how hurt he was. We spend time with him in his past, learning about what led to him leaving. But we never really get The Moment that hurt him. I never really truly understood what happened, why he left, why he was harboring so much animosity towards his mother, or his brother. And you might think that this was an intentional decision, that we never learn about The Inciting Incident that broke this family apart, but that's not exactly the case. I think we do see that moment, but from my perspective I was left thinking... that's it? That's what drove the wedge? I don't get it.. And that's not to dismiss his actions, emotions are weird things. But I feel as if we were supposed to really empathize with the son in this moment, but I found myself more confused than anything about what exactly happened.
The mother was a different beast. I think the intention was for her to be sort of headstrong, but she came off more often as petulant. The son always felt like the mature one while the mother spared no moment to throw a barb the son's way. Considering the fact that she made the choice to come see her son and, supposedly, start the process of repairing their relationship, I guess I would have expected that she would make more of an effort rather than showing up and being unpleasant to him the entire time while he only reacted stoically. I appreciated the evolving relationship we got between the son and the mother, but the son's animosity mixed with the mother's immaturity dampened what I felt could have been a more impactful developing relationship.
That aside, I really REALLY loved the stories about each of the son's and mother's lives independently. I loved the care and attention to detail devoted to fleshing out the son's various friends and lovers. I loved his relationship with his students, and I loved the glimpses we got into his past. I loved the mother's journey in growing accustomed to Tokyo, her interactions with Ben, and the cultural differences she faced at every corner. Probably my favorite part of the book was learning about the mother's past, her brother, and her friends. I think it did a really good job of setting the stage for why she is like she is as an adult, and made her to be very sympathetic for a story that could have easily written her off as more of the "villain" of the two.
Despite a few head scratching character decisions, this was an enjoyable read. I love strong character driven books, and I found this to be a novel, well-done story that put complex character development to the forefront.
A son, a mother. Both a bit broken by the other, Palaver is a documentation of the first step in the healing process and how we find home in others. This ended up being slightly different from what I expected, but it was still a quite enjoyable read.
The son lives in Tokyo. Originally from Texas, the child of Jamaican immigrants, he felt that he had no choice but to leave. Has father dead, his brother broken from war, and his mother has seemingly made her choice. So the son leaves. He tries to make a new home as far away from his old one as possible, and he does find his people in the Tokyo queer community. Some are other immigrants, some are locals, but all have a part of themselves to share with the son. The mother arrives with next to no warning. It has been years since she has seen her son, so she makes the time to see him, arriving in a new place she's never really dreamed of going to and without a plan for when she's there. Tokyo may be new to her, but finding herself in a new place unexpectedly is not. She left Jamaica when she was a young adult with her friends, leaving her brother behind. A brother she cared so deeply about, and who reminds her of her son. These are the things she wants to talk to her son about, but his heart is just too hurt. He struggles with accommodating his mother unexpectedly, reigning in his feelings of animosity, and wrestling with complications with his life in Tokyo, and the mother is doing nothing to help him, as she harbors pains of her own. As the mother's trip unfolds, confessions and pleas come to light, and both the mother and the son can't help but come out of it changed people.
If I were to use one word to describe this book, it would be "intimate". This was a deeply intimate lens into two peoples lives from their childhood to current day. We got to spend a lot of time with each of them, and watch them as they wrestle with their stormy thoughts and emotions, both hurting and healing the other time and time again. I was expecting this to be a book solely about the resolution, or destruction, of the relationship between the son and the mother, but we got so much more. In fact, the majority of this book the son and the mother were not together, each spending time apart and wrestling with their emotions. And this is something that I think could have been a bit better.
The son was hurt, I really get that. We spend a lot of time with him in the present day reflecting on how hurt he was. We spend time with him in his past, learning about what led to him leaving. But we never really get The Moment that hurt him. I never really truly understood what happened, why he left, why he was harboring so much animosity towards his mother, or his brother. And you might think that this was an intentional decision, that we never learn about The Inciting Incident that broke this family apart, but that's not exactly the case. I think we do see that moment, but from my perspective I was left thinking... that's it? That's what drove the wedge? I don't get it.. And that's not to dismiss his actions, emotions are weird things. But I feel as if we were supposed to really empathize with the son in this moment, but I found myself more confused than anything about what exactly happened.
The mother was a different beast. I think the intention was for her to be sort of headstrong, but she came off more often as petulant. The son always felt like the mature one while the mother spared no moment to throw a barb the son's way. Considering the fact that she made the choice to come see her son and, supposedly, start the process of repairing their relationship, I guess I would have expected that she would make more of an effort rather than showing up and being unpleasant to him the entire time while he only reacted stoically. I appreciated the evolving relationship we got between the son and the mother, but the son's animosity mixed with the mother's immaturity dampened what I felt could have been a more impactful developing relationship.
That aside, I really REALLY loved the stories about each of the son's and mother's lives independently. I loved the care and attention to detail devoted to fleshing out the son's various friends and lovers. I loved his relationship with his students, and I loved the glimpses we got into his past. I loved the mother's journey in growing accustomed to Tokyo, her interactions with Ben, and the cultural differences she faced at every corner. Probably my favorite part of the book was learning about the mother's past, her brother, and her friends. I think it did a really good job of setting the stage for why she is like she is as an adult, and made her to be very sympathetic for a story that could have easily written her off as more of the "villain" of the two.
Despite a few head scratching character decisions, this was an enjoyable read. I love strong character driven books, and I found this to be a novel, well-done story that put complex character development to the forefront.
Read
March 30, 2025he’s done it again
thank you fsg and netgalley for the digital arc. i’ve quite frankly never read something this early lol
i do plan on reading this again closer to the publication date, i just couldn’t be bothered to wait until november. you’ll get my full review then, but for now you can have some highlights:
- i wanted to cry and/or throw up during multiple scenes
- bryan washington crafts characters like no one else, the tenderness and care he exhibits in his writing is truly unmatched
- all of his works are in conversation with one another, but the exploration of similar themes never feels repetitive
i loved this book, and i’m already looking forward to the reread <3
thank you fsg and netgalley for the digital arc. i’ve quite frankly never read something this early lol
i do plan on reading this again closer to the publication date, i just couldn’t be bothered to wait until november. you’ll get my full review then, but for now you can have some highlights:
- i wanted to cry and/or throw up during multiple scenes
- bryan washington crafts characters like no one else, the tenderness and care he exhibits in his writing is truly unmatched
- all of his works are in conversation with one another, but the exploration of similar themes never feels repetitive
i loved this book, and i’m already looking forward to the reread <3
April 4, 2025
DNF at page 150. The Mcs being called Mom and Son didn't do it for me. I also really don't like when quotation marks aren't used and they were not here, so it would've needed to be really good for me to enjoy it anyways.
The plot itself fell through as the story got very confusing with introductions to too many characters with no personality or any idea who they are or what part they play in sons or moms life.
giving 2 star because I enjoyed the slice of life pictures of Japan those were great
unfortunately couldn't finish as it felt like a chore
The plot itself fell through as the story got very confusing with introductions to too many characters with no personality or any idea who they are or what part they play in sons or moms life.
giving 2 star because I enjoyed the slice of life pictures of Japan those were great
unfortunately couldn't finish as it felt like a chore
April 3, 2025
I love Bryan Washington. Remind me to read his books instead of an Emily Henry next time i want romance.
March 24, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley and FSG for the ebook. Chris has a life in Tokyo. He works as an English tutor, spends most nights in a gay bar, surrounded by friends and is having an affair with a married man. After not seeing his mother for ten years, she comes crashing into his life from Houston. Old animosities keep them wary of each other, so his mother decides to explore the city on her own as Chris questions some of the ruts his life may have fallen into. Told with great passion, humor and emotion as each of them find a war back to the other.
Shelved as 'arcs-to-read'
April 8, 2025Palaver releases on the 4 November, 2025!
� � queer identity, migration, chosen family � �
thank you so much to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for a free e-ARC in exchange for my review.
� � queer identity, migration, chosen family � �
thank you so much to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for a free e-ARC in exchange for my review.
March 31, 2025
This book will not be for everyone, but it was certainly for me! I adored the way this was written - the lack of first names, lack of quotation marks, and abundant use of comparisons were all *chef’s kiss*. This felt authentic and grounded. This also felt like a massive love letter to Japan.
I adored this cast of biological and found families. Everyone was messy and real. The writing brought each character to life and the dialogue was poetic.
Overall I really adored this novel and broadly recommend it! I’ll definitely be picking up a physical copy once published.
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for access to this work. All opinions are my own!
I adored this cast of biological and found families. Everyone was messy and real. The writing brought each character to life and the dialogue was poetic.
Overall I really adored this novel and broadly recommend it! I’ll definitely be picking up a physical copy once published.
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for access to this work. All opinions are my own!
April 3, 2025
The son has been living in Japan for twelve years, and he hasn't spoken to his mother in the last three, when she suddenly turns up unannounced. Once he realises how much it will cost to fly her back to America early, the son agrees that the mother can stay ... as long as she doesn't get in his way.
I've been a fan of Bryan Washington's writing ever since I read Lot (his debut short story collection), and fellow fans won't be disappointed by Palaver's grounded sense of place, descriptions of food you can almost taste, and layered sex scenes. But Palaver is my favourite of his books so far. Washington's sparse style of writing works so well to create a sense of distance between the son and the mother. If I've liked rather than loved Washington's previous books, it's because I found the characters a little unmemorable. Here, the focus on just two characters and the sense of their unknowability prevent that from being a problem. I loved the way Washington's terse dialogue and staccato paragraphs become part of his characterisation, as the son and mother so often leave things unsaid. This creates an ambiguity that lets the reader decide whose side they are on, as the story remains in third-person but flips between the son's and mother's perspectives. It also makes the son and mother feel like real people, elevating the dysfunctional family trope. And I think many of the side characters will stay with me too, thanks to Washington's immense talent for observation.
I have to admit that the length of Palaver coupled with its frequent movements through time did mean I couldn't always completely keep track of everyone, especially since I took my time reading it, savouring the writing and perhaps finding the frequent breaks made it a little too easy to put down. But this means that I can look forward to rereading it, and seeing how all the little pieces come together to make the bigger picture. I love Washington's writing, and Palaver's sense of place and the fascinating characters at its heart make this one my favourite of his books so far.
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an advance copy. Palaver is out on 4 November.
I've been a fan of Bryan Washington's writing ever since I read Lot (his debut short story collection), and fellow fans won't be disappointed by Palaver's grounded sense of place, descriptions of food you can almost taste, and layered sex scenes. But Palaver is my favourite of his books so far. Washington's sparse style of writing works so well to create a sense of distance between the son and the mother. If I've liked rather than loved Washington's previous books, it's because I found the characters a little unmemorable. Here, the focus on just two characters and the sense of their unknowability prevent that from being a problem. I loved the way Washington's terse dialogue and staccato paragraphs become part of his characterisation, as the son and mother so often leave things unsaid. This creates an ambiguity that lets the reader decide whose side they are on, as the story remains in third-person but flips between the son's and mother's perspectives. It also makes the son and mother feel like real people, elevating the dysfunctional family trope. And I think many of the side characters will stay with me too, thanks to Washington's immense talent for observation.
I have to admit that the length of Palaver coupled with its frequent movements through time did mean I couldn't always completely keep track of everyone, especially since I took my time reading it, savouring the writing and perhaps finding the frequent breaks made it a little too easy to put down. But this means that I can look forward to rereading it, and seeing how all the little pieces come together to make the bigger picture. I love Washington's writing, and Palaver's sense of place and the fascinating characters at its heart make this one my favourite of his books so far.
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an advance copy. Palaver is out on 4 November.
April 5, 2025
Equal parts heartwarming and heart wrenching, Palaver is a story about family and acceptable that is unfortunately hindered by some of the writing choices.
Palaver follows a mother and son’s tense reunion in Japan after years of being estranged. It deals with subjects like sexuality, racism, abuse, homophobia, and mental illness. While Bryan Washington keeps much of the mother and son’s past fairly vague, he does a great job at making their relationship feel very real. The story is also full of several side characters who are all very likable and serve as mentors for the mother and son to not only evaluate their own relationship, but also the problems within themselves that have led them to this specific moment in time. Palaver has a bit of a slow start, but I was engaged throughout and felt very invested to follow these characters and their relationship through to the end.
Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, I did struggle with a few of the writing choices made in this book. My biggest gripe is that the mother and son are never named and are just referred to as “the mother� or “the son� throughout the entire novel. I felt it created too much distance between the reader and the characters, and found it difficult to connect with them. I was also thrown off by the lack of quotation marks when characters were speaking. There were many instances where I had to go back and reread a section because I didn’t realize a conversation was happening and got lost. Both of these issues I was able to overcome as I continued reading, but I can see them very off putting to other readers.
Ultimately, I give Palaver a solid 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 for Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ) because, after sticking with it despite my initial complaints about the writing choices, I found it to be a compelling story that many people could connect with whether you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community or not.
March 30, 2025
Wow, wow, wow. Another stunner from Bryan Washington; his prose is so gorgeous, haunting, and powerful. This is a beautiful story of the conception of home, found family, immigration, love, costly mistakes, and grace. I loved everything about this novel; the strained, but hopeful, relationship between the mother and son; the side characters that make the story, and Tokyo, come to life; the cat; the photographs included between sections that illuminate the story. There are many types of connections explored here, from the deepest, and, at times, trickiest, kind involving love, to the kind we have with people we see regularly but might not exchange names with, and everything in between. What Washington suggests here is similar to Forster's imperative to "only connect;" in every permeation of relationship - no matter how difficult, no matter how ephemeral - the trying -the striving - to understand one another, and one's self, seems to be the purpose. One character says to another after a beautiful, brief moment together, "everyone in every lifetime doesn't get this....like this evening. After tonight, it'll fade into the air. It'll just be something that happened. But we'll both walk around with it, in our minds. It'll be something that lives with us. And changed us." Even what might be an inconsequential connection, given the time and distance, is worthy of pursuit and has meaning.
I also love this: "That's what other people are for. They're part of the litmus test....maybe they're the ones who help us see ourselves clearer. And helping them is helping ourselves." Despite the grief and hardships these characters face, I found this to be novel full of hope and the possibility of redemption; also, a testament to the power of friends.
Thank you NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC!
I also love this: "That's what other people are for. They're part of the litmus test....maybe they're the ones who help us see ourselves clearer. And helping them is helping ourselves." Despite the grief and hardships these characters face, I found this to be novel full of hope and the possibility of redemption; also, a testament to the power of friends.
Thank you NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC!
March 28, 2025
A son who ran away from his family, a mom who couldn't hold his son back when he ran away. Reading Palaver was more than just a reading experience. It healed parts of me that i thought would never heal. Watching the mother exploring japan all of her own, watching the son finally reconsiling with the mother for the warmth he never got when he was a kid, tagging along with them as their bond strengthen and they confront their vulnerabilities and the deeply rooted love for each other, this book is beyond a normal read. In the bustling life of Tokyo, the mom and son, with their multicultural friends and a thousand lives unfolds a tale of the darker side of human relationships, abuse, trauma, homophobia, and the helplessness it leads us into. Watching the son growing more softer to his mom, and the mom becoming more accepting to his son's lifestyle, this book is a genuine pill of happiness.
I hope the son and the mom and his brother and his friends, they all live happy, and celebrate the lives they have!
Thanks for Farrar, Straus and Giroux, NG for sending me the Advance Reader Copy!!
I hope the son and the mom and his brother and his friends, they all live happy, and celebrate the lives they have!
Thanks for Farrar, Straus and Giroux, NG for sending me the Advance Reader Copy!!
April 12, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
This is an interesting story. We follow a mother and son who remain unnamed through a journey to Japan in the midst of dealing with various facets of their lives.
The pacing is definitely a bit weird, and the start is a very slow build up into the relationships that surround the both of them. The son pushes against his mother quite a bit, and it makes for a bit of an unlikeable narrative because the characters just simply aren’t able to be connected with.
I did think there was a good undercurrent of some of the social issues that are part and parcel of the existence of queer people as well, but these themes weren’t explained quite as well as I would have liked them to be.
Still very much a solid read, but it just could have meandered a bit less and been a little bit more committed to the characters.
This is an interesting story. We follow a mother and son who remain unnamed through a journey to Japan in the midst of dealing with various facets of their lives.
The pacing is definitely a bit weird, and the start is a very slow build up into the relationships that surround the both of them. The son pushes against his mother quite a bit, and it makes for a bit of an unlikeable narrative because the characters just simply aren’t able to be connected with.
I did think there was a good undercurrent of some of the social issues that are part and parcel of the existence of queer people as well, but these themes weren’t explained quite as well as I would have liked them to be.
Still very much a solid read, but it just could have meandered a bit less and been a little bit more committed to the characters.
April 3, 2025
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC
Palaver is a rueful read that focuses on the main narrator Chris and his found family in Tokyo, as well as his complex relationship with his blood family represented by his mother's unexpected visit. We learn more about the two characters throughout, with the novel having a dual POV and a mixed timeline of both the past and the present. The book has an uneven pacing and drags at times, however Washington's signature strength in rendering his characters real and complex are still clear here. I appreciate this book for its ruminating story and the interesting main setting of Japan.
Palaver is a rueful read that focuses on the main narrator Chris and his found family in Tokyo, as well as his complex relationship with his blood family represented by his mother's unexpected visit. We learn more about the two characters throughout, with the novel having a dual POV and a mixed timeline of both the past and the present. The book has an uneven pacing and drags at times, however Washington's signature strength in rendering his characters real and complex are still clear here. I appreciate this book for its ruminating story and the interesting main setting of Japan.
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