The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy

by Robert Leleux · 2008

Robert Leleux’s wildly vivid memoir follows a boy’s tumultuous coming‑of‑age in East Texas under the watchful eye of his flamboyant, bewigged mother. After a shocking “Dear John” note leaves the family abandoned on an unaffordable white‑pillared horse ranch, Robert and his mother scramble through financial ruin, moving from lavish Neiman Marcus salons to dubious plastic‑surgery clinics in a desperate quest for a wealthy husband. With razor‑sharp humor and unforgettable set‑pieces, the narrative charts the mother’s relentless makeovers, the boy’s simultaneous horror and hilarity, and ultimately his own path to love and self‑discovery.