Bettyville, by George Hodgman

The best kind of memoir.  Betty is 91 and lives in Paris, Missouri.  When her son, George, comes home from New York for a birthday visit, he ends up staying on to help her.  Or perhaps help himself.  A successful editor, with gigs at Simon and Shuster and prestigious magazines such as Vanity Fair, he has recently become unemployed.  Working freelance, he is able to remain in Paris.  Betty still plays bridge, is mostly compos mentis, but has lost her driver’s license and is increasingly confused and needy.  An only child, George grew up in rural Missouri knowing he was different, and he has not really come to terms with his relationship with either his father, Big George, long gone, or his feisty mother.  He is gay, with no longtime partner or even a pet to tie him down.  His sexuality is something that he and his parents have really never have talked about.  Betty and George spar with each other and he worries about what the future holds for her, and himself.  An engaging and thoughtful book with some local color that makes it particularly fun for St. Louis readers.  It would be wonderful to have him speak at the library.  278 pp.