Home is the hardest place to return to.
In Tokyo, a young man builds a life far from Houston, teaching English by day and drinking with friends by night. He has found love and chosen family, but not forgiveness. When his mother arrives unannounced ten years after their estrangement, old wounds reopen beneath the glow of city lights.
Across meals, memories, and the quiet companionship of a cat named Taro, mother and son circle the hurts that divide them. She recalls her youth in Jamaica and the brother she lost; he learns how deeply love can disappoint and still endure.
A National Book Award finalist, Palaver by Bryan Washington is a tender, life-affirming novel about family, distance, and the fragile grace of forgiveness.
