Mike is an over-weight Japanese American chef who works in a Mexican restaurant. His partner, Benson, is a black American with HIV who works in after school care. They have been together, on and off, for four years. Both men have issues with their familes, especially with their fathers. They are also not sure where their relationship is heading.
When Mike discovers that his father is dying in Osaka he decides to go and see him and support him until the inevitable happens. Meanwhile Mitsuko, Mike's mother, arrives from Tokyo and stays with Benson while Mike is away. When Mike returns and announces that he plans to return to Japan to continue to run the family business for a while, he and Benson must decide whether Benson will go with him.
The story is told in three parts - part one and three from Benson's perspective and part two providing Mike's viewpoint. Narrative, without quotation marks is used for much of the book which is OK once you get used to it. There is also a great deal of profanity which does become monotonous.
Gradually we learn about the lives of these two men and about their insecurities. The issues with their disfunctional families are also revealed as the two men gradually decide how they want to live their lives. Attitudes to race as well as to sexual preference is also a theme in the book.
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