The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy

"Teacher, freelance writer and first-time author Leleux proves he's already a master of the snappy one-liner and the improbably hilarious in this rollicking, bitter-sweet (emphasis on the bitter) coming-of-age memoir. Featuring a larger-than life mother addicted to shopping and surgical makeovers, Leleux admits to having 'tilted' the story so that it 'reads better (as in funnier, or happier) than it was lived'; still, it's a rocky trip that obviously required a highly evolved sense of humor to get through (fortunately, Leleux makes himself as big a target as his extravagant mother). Beginning with his father's abandonment when Leleux was 17, the author traces the erratic aftermath in the home of his desperate mom, whose plan to remarry rich leads her to pursue a risky and exorbitant series of surgical enhancements, turning inside-out Leleux's hope that 'the end of marriage would be only the beginning of plastic surgery and happy new lives.' In the meantime, Robert meets and unexpectedly falls in love with Michael Leleux, learning for the first time that he's gay and, further, that his mom has already known. Not for the timid, this laugh-out-loud tale of dysfunction and discovery is a compulsively readable treat; any fan of Augusten Burroughs or David Sedaris owes it to themselves to pick it up." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Like most young memoirists, Leleux finds himself and his family always more fascinating than the reader may, but he displays a nice self-effacing wit, a talent for constructing funny scenes, and a genuinely sweet spirit that engages the readers sympathy." Booklist

"I never really thought much about having a gay son until I read The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy and laughed out loud so often I thought I'd better keep this book on hand in case I ever need to cure myself of a terminal disease. When I finished the book, I missed Robert Leleux's company so much, I wished he were my own son so I could call and hear his answer to, 'So, sweetie, how was your day?'" Beverly Donofrio, author of Riding in Cars with Boys

"Reader, stand back! Here's Robert Leleux, the funniest young writer to appear in who knows when, with a maelstrom of a mother straight out of hell and Neiman Marcus, talking his way into the affections of readers everywhere with a wicked tongue tempered — barely — by a big generous heart." Mark Doty, author of Dog Years, Firebird, and Heaven's Coast

In a memoir studded with delicious lines and unforgettable set pieces, Leleux describes his east Texas boyhood and coming of age, under the tutelage of his eccentric, bewigged, flamboyant, and knowing mother.