Hillbilly Elegy

tell her what I had called to say: that I
loathed living with these strangers and
that everything that had made my life to
that point tolerable—the reprieve of her
house, the company of my sister—had
apparently vanished. I asked her to tell
everyone whose voice I heard in the
background that I loved them, and then I
hung up the phone and marched upstairs
to watch TV. I had never felt so alone.
Happily, I continued to attend
Middletown’s schools, which kept me in
touch with my school friends and gave
me an excuse to spend a few hours at
Mamaw’s. During active school
sessions, I saw her a few times a week,
and every time I did, she reminded me of