Hillbilly Elegy

my mom. At my most empathetic, I
figured she suffered from some terrible
genetic defect, and I hoped I hadn’t
inherited it. As I increasingly saw
Mom’s behavior in myself, I tried to
understand her.
Uncle Jimmy told me that, long ago,
he’d walked in on a discussion between
Mamaw and Papaw. Mom had gotten
herself in some trouble and they needed
to bail her out. These bailouts were
common, and they always came with
theoretical strings attached. She had to
budget, they’d tell her, and they’d put her
on some arbitrary plan they’d designed
themselves. The plan was the cost of
their help. As they sat and discussed