Bryan Washington's Family Meal (2023) tells the story of Cam, a young man from Los Angeles whose life begins to fall apart after the tragic death of his beloved girlfriend, Kai. His life is further complicated by the fact that Kai's ghost unexpectedly continues to visit him even after her death. Rapt with grief and guilt, Cam decides to return to Houston. Although the visits from Kai continue, he is grounded by the opportunity to work in his friend TJ's bakery. TJ, who is concerned about his friend and doesn't know how to treat him after his dramatic change, tries the best he can to help his friend. Eventually, though, after the two say horrible things to each other, he discovers that sometimes, friendships are meant to end—and grief can turn someone into a different, almost unrecognizable person.
Family Meal was met with mostly positive reviews upon its publication, as is typical for Bryan Washington, who has earned a number of prestigious awards for his past novels. One of the biggest compliments that reviewers offered about Family Meal is Washington's commitment to his unique, almost idiosyncratic style. In their review, Kirkus Reviews said that "Washington brilliantly commits to his style and preoccupations in a novel about the often winding journey to family."
