Lot by Bryan Washington

I have been lucky enough to be part of the ‘Lot’ blog tour – and I feel very privilaged to have been. (Especially as Barak Obama was a fan).

Lot is a collection of short stories all based around one community of friends and family in America as they work each day, in some cases, simply to survive. The majority of the tales focus around our narrator, the son of a black mother and a Latino father, as he journeys along the complex path of self-discovery. There are regular challenges of identity, family life and survival as he works in the family’s restaurant, and discovering he is gay (which does not go down well with everyone). However, everyone whose tale we come across is facing personal struggle, often about identity, culture and trying to be accepted and successful.

However, all the way throughout the book, there is a constant theme of love. Maybe not always obviously, but it is clear that it keeps all these friends and family ticking along.

There is so much in this book that makes it beautiful – even if not all the stories are happy ones – they are certainly thought-provoking and a reminder that a little kindness and acceptance can go a long way.