The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy
Book Club Picks

Book Club Picks: Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy

Imagine walking into your house to find a Dear John letter from your father. Now imagine having to show it to your mother. So starts Robert's memoir. The relationship between Robert and his mother was one based on shopping, beauty, and movies. After his father left, Robert's mother decided that she must marry a rich man to support her and Robert. In order to find this rich man, she needed to update her appearance. Some very funny stories revolve around this process.

Robert grows up and, at 17 years old, realizes that he is gay. However, this is no surprise to anyone else. His mother claims she knew the minute she saw him. She says it best, "With a mother like me, how could you not be gay?" He meets Michael at 17, after realizing that he is, indeed, gay. Michael's family becomes Robert's family and their combined relationships are a part of the main story.

Book Club Picks: Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy Opinion

Robert's story is a true story of a boy who grows up with an eccentric mother, and is all the while trying to figure himself out. What is obvious to everyone else, including the reader, is that he is gay. He does not come to terms with this until he is 17 years old.

There are no heroic feats or prize winning discoveries over the course of the novel. It is basically a coming-of-age tale about a boy and his mother and the life he lives as a young, gay man.

I am not sure that this is a good book club pick. I think for a book to inspire a great book club discussion it has to have some underlying context. In this story, there is the possible discussion about Robert not realizing his own sexuality until way after everyone else, but there isn't much to build on after that, discussion-wise. It did have some humorous moments and interesting metaphors but it was not one of my favorites.

Book Club Picks: Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy Discussion Questions

1. Robert's mother was eccentric. If you were in Robert's position, how would you have reacted towards her?
2. Does someone in your family have crazy metaphors that they use regularly?
3. If you had to choose a character in a book or a movie that would match your current life, who would you choose?

Return from Book Club Picks: Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy to Home