The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy

by Robert Leleux

The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy is The Houston Press 's Best Houston Book of the Year for 2008.

In the Dear John letter Daddy left for Mother and me, on a Saturday afternoon in early June 1996, on the inlaid Florentine table in the front entry of our house, which we found that night upon returning from a day spent in the crème-colored light of Neiman's, Daddy wrote that he was leaving us because Mother was crazy, and because she'd driven me crazy in a way that perfectly suited her own insanity.

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

Left high and dry by Daddy and living on their in-laws' horse ranch in a white-pillared house they can't afford, Robert and Mother find themselves chronically low on cash. Soon they are forced into more modest quarters, and as a teenaged Robert watches with hilarity and horror, Mother begins a desperate regimen of makeovers, extreme plastic surgeries, and finally hairpiece epoxies---all calculated to secure a new, wealthy husband.

Mother's strategy takes her, with Robert in tow, from the glamorous environs of the Neiman Marcus beauty salon to questionable surgery offices and finally to a storefront clinic on the wrong side of Houston. Meanwhile, Robert begins his own journey away from Mother and through the local theater's world of miscast hopefuls and thwarted ambitions---and into a romance that surprises absolutely no one but himself.

Written with a warmth and a wicked sense of fun that lighten even the most awful circumstances, The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy is a sparkling debut.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, LGBT, Gay, Biography, Humor, Coming Of Age

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[George Ilsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and somewhat surreal. I kept finding myself shocked at the dates of events. 1996? Felt like the 1950s or the early 60s.

[Sonia Reppe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Self-centered, childish, dramatic with self-love, using people who care about him as personal entertainment fodder—but not in a mean way— all qualities that make Robert Leleux an interesting character. Throw in an extravagant, gold-digging, Texas big-dealer of a mother and you have domestic dysfunction at its funniest. The core of Leleux's teen-age memoir is about family ties and dysassociations and how one gay boy relates to all that. With large Texas-size doses of humor and hilarious dialogue, Leleux can be compared to Dave Sedaris. I can't wait for his next memoir.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinarily well written memoir about a gay boy growing up in Texas with a larger-than-life mother. Let's just say it struck very close to home, and the writing is just fabulous (and I don't use that word lightly). I had published an excerpt in BLOOM a few years ago, so I feel especially proud that I knew about this book while it was in formation. Robert also created some "trailers" on YouTube which are hilarious.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this hysterical book about a gay boy and his over-the-top mother from Texas. I laughed on almost every single page but also ended up reflecting on the value of family and their love and loyalty. A great read I'd highly recommend.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delight. I laughed a lot--he's done a great job with some hilarious material.

[Kristi · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I owned this book, I'd sell it in a heartbeat. Not to spread the joy of its pages, but to get it the hell out of my house.

Leleux is NO David Sedaris (whom I adore!). This "novel" (and I use that term, oh so loosely) was a diary gone wrong. From beginning to end, this "book" screamed ME, ME, LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME AND AT ALL THE PEOPLE WHO THINK I'M AWESOME. It was the most blatant excuse for self-love I've ever seen between end-pages.

I began reading it, believing that it centered around a slightly crazy, yet extravagant and elegant woman. Oh no. This book was about a son who believes everything rotates around him; and that people who care about him are to be used for his personal entertainment fodder. This book had his mother as a side character, while he waltzed onto the stage. Shallow in the extreme, with major instances of dramatic self-love, this book was written by a 20-something about his life as a late teenager. He hasn't done anything yet in his life to allow for the term "memoir." It's a feeble attempt at a diary, and not a very interesting one, at that.

I can't believe a publisher actually allowed this book to literally "swoon" onto the shelves. At one point, there is an actual conversation of how the author argues with his partner over whether he (the author) is actually a "flower" or is he, as he fears a "pot?" "Please God (because Jesus is only there to do things for the author and his mother), please let me be a flower." And the endlessly suffering partner (who is treated like crap by the author, I might add, although we hear multiple times of the partner's beauty, a main focus of the author's obsession) says, "yes, darling, you're a flower. How could anyone ever think you're a pot?" My friends, it just continued on that downhill slope...

I cringe to think there is a generation of writers actually taking classes from this author. Talk about needing prayer - Lord, help them.

Ultimately, a complete waste of time - and not even a fun one, at that. I'm completely annoyed at NPR for promoting this book. I'll never trust them again.

[Larry H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book. The closest comparison I can draw is to "Running with Scissors," but because of the humor and tenderness of the book, not because anyone had the type of psychological problems manifested in that book. Honestly, this book made me laugh out loud (although silently, because I was on a plane for most of it) and even choked me up sometimes. And while some of the situations were absolutely zany (and Leleux did mention in the preface that some instances will read funnier than they were), I never felt like he was trying to pile on too much in order to make something funny. This is the story of a unique mother-son relationship and the story of self-discovery, on many fronts. This may be a "memoir," but it definitely reads like a novel. I'd highly recommend this book and believe you'll discover you're sad when it's over. I am.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. I could definitely relate with feeling out of place growing up in Texas. Robert Leleux and his mother are colorful characters that you would expect to find in a Tennessee Williams play. Sometimes I wanted to yell at him to get over himself when he was complaining about such minor things that most people who grow up without money have to deal with.

[James Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this memoir finding it a delightful quotable read, even if it has some stereotypical moments. But the stereotypes are fun; from the over-the-top mother with fake hair to her tres gay son who accompanies her many trips to the mall. The author narrates a wild ride that begins in Petunia, Texas when his father abandons them. Left with few resources the mother finds a man and so does the son. As the memoir unfolds it became an unforgettable coming of age story. The author's writing style was focused and filled the book with a true aura of the southern Texas setting. Ultimately it was the one-liners and set-pieces that filled me with laughter and kept me turning the pages.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is hilarious! Robert Leleux's story is like something out of the tv show Arrested Development. A mother who endures the most awful pain (and convinces her son that she's hemorrhaging) to receive plastic surgery and fake hair. Another great bit is the anti climatic response Robert gets when he tells his family that he's gay. Still makes me laugh! I was a bit disappointed with the ending, but all in all, it's a funny story that you will devour in a few days. I couldn't put it down.

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, loved this book. Aside from not wanting to finish it (it's one of those books you COULD read in a day, but just don't want to!), it has inspired me to write one of my own...I just have to get this goll-darned JOB out of the way.

[Patrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

and I Love it!

[Anna Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

precious and hilarious.

[Louiseowens · Rating 5 out of 5]

the funniest, happiest, most delightful book i've read in ages!!!

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again I feel like a pretty good mom. In the tradition of The Glass Castle, Fat Girl, The Mistress's Daughter, Escape, and other memoirs, this is a middling one. I had a great childhood, and so did my kids. You can blame my mom for me not being a best-selling writer. I used to think that I could die happy if none of my kids were ever on Jerry Springer. Now I think it would be better if none of them ever wrote a memoir of their childhood.
This is in the Running with Scissors category, a gay young man grows up with a weird mom in Texas. There are some very funny characters with Texas sized personalities. You can't help but laugh that the only one surprised when he comes out of the closet is himself. An amusing read, if only for the weird plastic surgery episodes with his mother. She epitomizes the "It's better to look good than to feel good" philosophy. You'll feel so much better about your own parenting skills.

[manatee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned that True Love does exist. I absolutely adored this book because it was so funny and delightful and catty and optimistic. It was hysterically funny and melodramatic. I was quite taken with the author's exaggerated,put upon voice. I loved the depictions of the author's real and adopted families. And to think, such a fascinating author autographed his book for me. This book was a fantastic Christmas present. I am so glad that I read it.

I was so pleased to read a lighthearted book about gay life and romance that was not tortured or tragic.
I was fascinated by the teen romance and the character of Michael, who took years to get his degree in Modern Dance from Sam Houston State University.

This book is a gem

[Molly Gordon]

Here is what someone passionate about books wrote about this book:
"This exuberant, hyperbolic new memoir runs through the authori's louder-than-life, left-Texas adolescence spent in the shadow of his glorious, bewigged, gold-digging lovable momma. It's darkly funny that readers of David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs will not want to miss."

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this after hearing him speak about his book at the Texas Book Festival. He's a fabulously gay man and he's quite funny in person. His writing is funny, as well. The problem is that while reading I just really really developed a huge dislike of his mother (and to an extent, him). And given that the book is all about his relationship with his mother, it hindered my enjoyment.

[Reeve · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my friends is the aunt of this author. She was distressed by the sarcastic humor, but, not really knowing most of the people in it, I thought it had both heavy sarcasm and a lot of heart. I laughed my way through it and came out touched. If you like Augusten Burroughs you will like this.

[Darrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

i LOVED it!!!

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightfully entertaining and a quick read. Leleux paints his family and friends like the big Texan personalities they no doubt are.

[Joan]

The latest entry in the "growing up gay in a dysfunctional, eccentric southern household" sweepstakes won't get first prize, but it definitely places!

Previously supported by the in-laws, Robert and his mother find their emotional and financial lives in turmoil when his father abandons them for another woman. Like another southern belle who tried to conquer the world dressed in her mother's portières, Jessica calculates that all she needs to do is attract a rich husband, and so she is off to the plastic surgeon and the wigmaker. Robert, in the meantime, is dealing with the fact that he's gay. Now you would think that a boy who watches Bette Davis movies, keeps Vanity Fair magazines under his bed and considers Neiman-Marcus to be heaven on earth, would have realized this sooner, but it's not until he auditions for a community theatre program and falls immediately in love with the choreographer that he gets it. Mother, of course, knew it all his life.

I have to say that my first impression of Robert's mother was not a very positive one. She comes across as shallow, overly concerned with money and appearances, and just not very nice. But, eventually, one realizes that she is playing the hand she was dealt, the only way she knows how.

The second half of the book is primarily concerned with Robert and Michael's relationship, how it develops, and, more important, how Robert's relationship with Michael's family leads him, eventually, to the beginnings of a reconciliation with his father.

And how do you not love a book that is dedicated, in part, to some of my favorite Texas women - Molly Ivins, Sissy Farenthold and Ann Richards.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of memoirs -- particularly funny memoirs about messed up childhoods. Think Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs or some of David Sedaris's books about his childhood. This memoir is along those lines, and it was a fun, fast read. Like Sedaris and Burroughs, Mr. LeLeux grows up as a gay son of a unusual and different mother (though Mr. LeLeux's mother takes the cake in terms of flamboyance). His mother is pretty much the star of the book. A Texas Blonde (but only because she wears a wig) who is left by her husband, Robert's mother puts Operation Snag Another Rich Husband into play when Robert is in his early teens. The story of her attempts to turn back the clock and get a man forms the heart of the book. Plastic surgery, hair replacement attempts -- his mother's attempts to regain her former lifestyle are both sad but hilarious. The bulk of the book chronicles his mother's various antics. These remembrances are a kick to read -- but I'm sure glad I didn't have to live them. The book also covers Robert's realization that he is gay (a shock only to him) and his subsequent love affair with Michael LeLeux. Although his mother moves to California during the last third of the book, she is never far away -- even though you wish poor Robert could just get a chance to be out from under her drama. This is a wonderfully written and fun memoir. I really enjoyed it and I hope the author continues to write more about his life and his larger-than-life mother.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I picked this up at Logos today, I was thinking of David Sheff's "Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction." I didn't remember the title or the author, but I just remembered that it had the words "beautiful boy" in it. And I remember thinking that maybe I might want to read it. So when I sat down and started to read, imagine my surprise to discover that this was a memoir of a young gay boy and his rather odd family, especially his flamboyant mother. This reads like David Sidaris on tranquilizers...not quite as riotous, but equally interesting.

The book starts the day Robert and his mother come home from their weekly trip for hair and nail treatments at Neiman Marcus, to discover a note left by the father saying he was leaving them penniless. Adjustment to their situation, selling off all the fancy clothes and jewelry, the search for a new (old, rich) husband, and Robert's coming of age as a gay man (he had no idea he was until he met the man who would become his husband) is a delightful story, with unforgettable scenes (like Mother's having her head shaved and a wig superglued to her scalp, or the terrifying trip to the "emergency room," where, unbeknownst to Robert, his mother has an appointment for plastic surgery.

A nice surprise and not at all as depressing as the story of a father dealing with his son's addiction!

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a hoot! I remember coming across a review of this book and thinking I should read it. Then I forgot about it. A short while back, a friend brought to my attention an article in the New York Times about multitasking by her friend Ruth Pennebaker, in which Robert Leleux is quoted, and it brought it all back to mind. For those keeping score, that's only three degrees of separation!

And possibly less, as it seems that Mr. Leleux and I grew up in small town Texas as gay boys only a dozen years and 50 miles from each other. Not to say that his family and upbringing were anything like mine. Still, his voice resonated with me. I so enjoyed his ability to describe the characters that fill his life. He's one of those people that you just know you'd enjoy listening to as he read his work.

For my friends and family who grew up there or know the place well, I leave the following quote: "...it's hard for me to generalize about a group of people -- but, by and large, Huntsvillians did seem a little peculiar. Deep East Texas peculiar."

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

My uncle passed The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy by Robert Leleux on to me after he finished it. Leleux shares the events of his life over the course of the three years after his father abandoned him and his mother when he was 16. His mother threw herself into the search for a new rich husband and put herself through varying beauty surgeries and treatments to appear younger. During this same time, Leleux met Michael, fell in love and finally realized he was gay. His story has a whole lot of dysfunction, but at the heart of it is his love story with Michael which is just ridiculously sweet and is the number one thing I will take away from his story. His memoir is well written and full of humor, but it did feel a little too embellished at times. Leleux is the same age as my husband, but I would never guess it because nothing about his memoir referenced anything culturally that we experienced as teenagers at the same time. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, just an additional observation I made reading it.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a humorous memoir of a section of the author's life in Texas -- a section of his teen years that began when his father left his mother and that included his realization that he was gay.

Our reading group organizer ordered this in error, instead of "Beautiful Boy" by Sheff. Our group decided to read this one instead, since it was on hand!

So serendipity played a large role in my choosing to read this memoir, but I am not sorry that I read it. It is written in a highly entertaining style. Leleux has an over-the-top way with amusing anecdotes and writes this book by stringing these together to move the story forward.

I only had a little time to read this daily, but looked forward to that time. It is very readable. Of course, when I reached the end, I wondered if he will write another volume covering his life after he left Texas. Only time will tell.

[Carrie Rolph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leleux's memoir of growing up gay in Texas with his pill-popping, fake-haired mother. It's drawn a lot of comparison to David Sedaris, and I kind of see a similarity, but David Sedaris is more about the neurotic behavior of his entire family, and Robert Leleux is more about the narcissism of his.

I also think David Sedaris is funnier, but maybe that's just because I listened to him read his own stuff, and maybe this would be funny too if David Sedaris read it.

My favorite quote:

"That's very considerate of you, Veronique," I said. "I suppose that if someone had to shave my mother's head, and then crazy-glue new, yellow plastic hair onto her bald scalp, and then watch her puke her brains out all over a room the size of a microwave oven because she's overdosed on pain medication, then I'm glad that that person was someone as sensitive and considerate as you are."

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing read. A young man, apparently born flagrantly gay tells the tale of his teenaged years in Texas with a mother who is one of the most self-absorbed people on the planet, who abandons him while he is still in high-school to pursue the man of her dreams, and the true love that saved his life. Leleux has wit, I will give him that but this book reads more like a fictinal tale that happened to someone else than his own story, which surely would have held far more pain than is written. Not that I want to read another painful tale of woe, mind you. It's just hard to take this all very seriously. That is most likely what the author is striving for, however, since he tells us right up froint that he spends much of his time, putting a hilarious spin on the events of his life, and the lives of those who love him. Not a bad way to wile away a couple of hours.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tackled this one after reading The Living End: A Memoir of Forgetting and Forgiving, author's story of his grandmother and mother-in-law; I'd strongly recommending reading that one first. Here, he and his mother come off as just too self-centered and shallow to be likeable, which is a shame as by the end of the other book both came off as flawed, but okay people. Also, that book goes into more depth about his stepfather, which helps make more sense here, where the guy affects the story, though pretty much as an unknown quantity.
Glad I was geeky enough to have read the acknowledgements section as he gives profuse gratitude to his dad, whereas their (possible) reconciliation had been left open at the end of the book.