My book club met on Saturday to discuss Memorial by Bryan Washington. Despite being a Good Morning America book club pick, I wasn’t able to find any discussion questions online.

My friend Brittany helped me create the questions below. Our club had a great discussion and I hope you can use them as well! If you do, I’d love to hear about it, and if you add your own to my list feel free to put them in the comments.

Book Club Discussion Questions for Memorial by Bryan Washington

1. Who was your favorite character and why?

2. What role did food play in the book?

3. How did you feel about the author’s blunt, sparse writing style and overall structural choices? Did his writing style enhance or detract from your reading experience?

4. Both Benson and Mike had complicated relationships with their fathers. How did these relationships change over the course of the book?

5. How did Mike and Benson’s upbringings affect their romantic relationships?

6. What do you think Mike was trying to convey to Benson when he sent the various photos to him?

7. Mike’s mother plays a key role throughout the book. What impact does her presence have on both Benson and Mike? 

8. What was your reaction when you learned that Mitsuko knowingly sent Mike’s father away? 

9. What life choices do you think the characters made at the end of the book? Where do you see each character in a year? 

---