“Palaver” by Bryan Washington is a peek into an English tutor’s unexpected visit from his mom during the holiday season. Referred to throughout the book as “the son,” the unnamed narrator struggles to forgive and let his mother into his recreated world.

As an audiobook, this was hard to follow at times, with lots of characters and names to keep track of. Overall, a remarkable look at what it means to call a place home. I loved the back and forth between the present and the mother’s past.

Some nuggets to chew on: 

“If you stay anywhere long enough, eventually, you’ll lose people”

“Sometimes plot’s just a way of packaging ideas like the letter for an envelope…Isn’t that all that a story is? A captured moment?”

Thanks @macmillion.audio for the audiobook ARC! Happy belated pub day!