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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.