Staff Pick
For those who spent their childhood Sundays at church, Lot is a symbol of God's capriciousness; for those who didn't, the word can refer to a quantity, a space, a fate — it depends on the context. The ambiguity and flexibility of the title suits these tales of struggle. As they navigate the bigotry that is so ingrained in American culture and fight against the infinite indignities and frustrations that are inevitable to poverty, these characters experience suffering on a biblical scale. And yet, every story speaks to the tenderness that survives even in harsh, unforgiving places. Lot is divine, a stunning debut that distinguishes Bryan Washington as the voice after the fire. Recommended By Lauren P., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
“Lot is a phenomenal debut, the kind of stories I am always longing to read.” Justin Torres, author of We the Animals
“Brilliant…This is the literature that I’ve been waiting for.” Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of Here Comes the Sun
Named one of the most anticipated books of 2019 by Entertainment Weekly, Buzzfeed, Nylon, Huffington Post, AV Club, The Millions
In the city of Houston — a sprawling, diverse microcosm of America — the son of a black mother and a Latino father is coming of age. He’s working at his family’s restaurant, weathering his brother’s blows, resenting his older sister’s absence. And discovering he likes boys.
Around him, others live and thrive and die in Houston’s myriad neighborhoods: a young woman whose affair detonates across an apartment complex, a ragtag baseball team, a group of young hustlers, hurricane survivors, a local drug dealer who takes a Guatemalan teen under his wing, a reluctant chupacabra.
Bryan Washington’s brilliant, viscerally drawn world vibrates with energy, wit, and the infinite longing of people searching for home. With soulful insight into what makes a community, a family, and a life, Lot explores trust and love in all its unsparing and unsteady forms.
Review
“Lot is the confession of a neighborhood, channeled through a literary prodigy. Bryan Washington doesn’t render a world, he actually captures one, grabs it out of reality and holds it up for you to see it sparkle. Unflinching, romantic while refusing to romanticize; this is the debut of a prodigious talent.” Mat Johnson, Author of Loving Day and Pym
Review
“Bryan Washington’s voice has risen blazingly from Houston and now commands us to pay attention. Lot is as raw, soulful and moving as a story collection can get. It’s my favorite fiction debut of the year.” Jami Attenberg, New York Times bestselling author of The Middlesteins and All Grown Up
Review
“Bryan Washington gets Houston down on the page in a way I haven’t seen before; the city, in his hands, is revealed in all its strange and righteous glory, a fresh sense of youth that’s a pleasure to read. Bryan is a thrilling new voice in American fiction and one to watch.” Amelia Gray, author of Isadora and Gutshot
Review
“Bryan Washington’s writing is refreshing — a brilliant display of raw talent with gut punching stories that deliver with a lasting force. This is the literature that I’ve been waiting for.” Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of Here Comes the Sun
About the Author
Bryan Washington has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, BuzzFeed, Vulture, The Paris Review, Tin House, One Story, Bon Appétit, MUNCHIES, American Short Fiction, GQ, FADER, The Awl, and Catapult. He lives in Houston.