First published 2020
Benson and Mike, a Black day care teacher and Japanese American chef, are drifting apart in Houston when Mike's dying father pulls him to Osaka. As Mike confronts his family's complicated history, his mother Mitsuko unexpectedly lands in Texas, forcing Benson into an unlikely domestic arrangement. Their separation becomes a crucible of self-discovery: Mike unravels generational wounds in Japan, while Benson confronts his own uncertain desires. With distance stretching their relationship, they must decide whether their connection can survive radical personal transformations. Some bonds break to be remade stronger.
Genres: american-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, separation
Setting: Houston, Japan, Osaka, Texas
Period: 21st-century
305 pages · Hardcover · Riverhead Books