Lot Stories

“Lot” is set in Houston, and it centers around a boy, half black and half Latino, growing up there, and the people surrounding them. It’s a collection of short stories connected by a framing narrative - something in-between a novel and short stories. It’s also stunningly good. It’s reminiscent of Ocean Vuong’s “On Earth, we’re briefly gorgeous” in that it captures the reality of life and death in all its painful details but there is still space for something good. The writing is excellent - every word is right where it needs to be and surrounded by the space it needs. I cannot recommend this highly enough.