Hillbilly Elegy

She spent only a couple days in the
hospital. Within a month, we moved
back to Middletown, one block closer to
Mamaw than we’d been before, with one
less man in tow.
Despite the return to a familiar
home, Mom’s behavior grew
increasingly erratic. She was more
roommate than parent, and of the three of
us—Mom, Lindsay, and me—Mom was
the roommate most prone to hard living.
I’d go to bed only to wake up around
midnight, when Lindsay got home from
doing whatever teenagers do. I’d wake
up again at two or three in the morning,
when Mom got home. She had new
friends, most of them younger and