Book Review: Alpha Bette

Alpha Bette by Jennifer Manocherian is a contemporary fiction told from the viewpoint of several characters who revolve around the matriarch Bette Gartner. At ninety-five, Bette has lost her husband, most of her friends, and even her granddaughter. She has to rely on help from her housekeeper and night nurse after a fall that left her reliant on her wheelchair.

One morning, after what she is sure is a sign from her dead husband, Bette orchestrates a dinner party. The entire story takes place in one day giving readers a glimpse into the past and present of Bette and those around her: housekeeper, aide, two neighbors, daughter and son-in-law, great-granddaughter, and what Bette hopes to be her eventual great-grandson-in-law. Throw in a cremated parrot, political prisoners, a spoiled puppy, a cancer scare, and a medium who Bette believes can speak to her husband, George, and you have a dinner party you'll never forget.

This book reminds me a bit of My Grandmother Told Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman and The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley. I think it is because we get into the heads of so many characters and see how they touch one another's lives.
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Manocherian states that people either love or hate the ending. I'm in the love category, but that may be because I saw it coming! This is another must-read.