“The Distinguished Guest” by Sue Miller

I have decided not to buy any more books till I delve into each of the ones on my bookcase shelves and decide either to read or give it away. I started The Distinguished Guest a couple of weeks ago. It begins, “In 1982, when she was seventy-two years old, Lily Roberts Maynard published her first book.”

And then I met Lily, who is now over eighty, rather famous, and struggling to keep up with her reputation as a purveyor of all things well-written and wise. Sought after by journalists for her sharp-tongued and witty observations, Lily is also an irritating, often infuriating mystery to her grown children and grandchildren. When Lily’s son, Alan, learns that Lily needs to live for a while with him and his French wife, Gaby, he dreads how the arrangement might affect them.

One effect Lily’s visit has is to stir up old memories and current personal difficulties in the entire family, and much of The Distinguished Guest involves showing these present and past interactions. When a journalist arrives to interview Lily, we see even more of the conflicts and resentments, particularly how Lily and her now deceased husband, Paul, a minister, butted heads over how to best support and further the rights of Black people during the Civil Rights Movement.

This is not a plot heavy book. It is a combining of rich, deep characters and their interactions, and it held me all the way through. I was reminded of Paul Thorn’s song, “I Don’t Like Half the Folks I Love,” and of the time I heard a psychotherapist colleague say, “We’re making it all up”, when we describe how we humans project so much onto each other, in terms of feelings and motivations.

Sue Miller “makes it all up”, and she does it beautifully. I cared and wondered and was fascinated all the way through this book. I loved the ending, which warmed me and made me wonder even more about Lily. If you’re into family dynamics and rich character development, do read The Distinguished Guest.

#