Dot & Ralfie

Amy Hoffman is the author of the novel The Off Season and the memoirs Lies about My Family, An Army of Ex-Lovers, and Hospital Time. Formerly the editor in chief of Women's Review of Books, she currently teaches writing at Emerson College and in the Solstice Low-Residency MFA Program. Her writing has appeared in the Boston Review, the Gay & Lesbian Review, and other publications.

1 There's Ralfie 2 So There's Dot 3 The Only Thing to Live For 4 Not a Good Time 5 An Expedition 6 A Big Waste of Time 7 Who Knows Where 8 Ralfie on the Job 9 The Weight Slams Down 10 Oxygen 11 All Sorts of New Vocabulary 12 Ralfie Feels Desperate 13 The Characteristic Housing 14 A Person of Strong Character 15 It Doesn't End There 16 Silence 17 Dot Drags Herself 18 The Particular Quiet of the Closed Library 19 Ralfie Falls Out of a Tree 20 There's Ralfie. Again. 21 Viola Calls 22 Dot Does Her Duties 23 Ralfie Gets a Bad Feeling 24 "What?" 25 A Call to Susan 26 Ralfie at the Bank 27 They Still Can't Believe 28 Asking Viola 29 Her Breakfast Egg 30 Unresolvable Life Crises 31 A Cold, Rainy Sunday 32 A Few Stray Magenta Highlights 33 A Favor for Jim's Mom 34 Susan Tries Again 35 Alone and Confused 36 Distressing Visits 37 Jim Is Wary 38 The Tran Family at the Door 39 An Item 40 Ralfie Does Not Insist 41 Expedition #2 42 Recuperating 43 A Big Honking Piece of Machinery 44 When They Were Kids 45 Finished 46 The Ducky Acknowledgments

"We know Dot and Ralfie from back in the day in Boston! Was it at the bar? Dyke softball? Who can remember? Anyway, it's great to catch up with them - bum knees, chair stairs, crazy jobs, money worries, aging in place. In place of what? We loved spending time with them."--Kate Clinton, humorist, and Urvashi Vaid, activist "A beautiful look at elder care in the LGBTQ+ community, and how difficult it can be to grow older outside of a heteronormative relationship structure."--Book Riot "Endearing and humorously crisp. . . . Character-driven and effortlessly enjoyable, Hoffman sheds sweet light on the often-dismissed population of LGBT seniors with this very realistic and beautifully written story of lesbian elders living and loving in contemporary Boston."--The Bay Area Reporter "It's funny in all the right parts, good-naturedly grumpy where it needs to be, and wonderfully, wryly sarcastic, but author Amy Hoffman also nudges her readers to think about their own futures and what each might entail. Who will care for us when we only have similarly-aged friends to rely on? To soften the soberness of that question, Hoffman gives readers a handful of very charming characters that fuss at one another, argue, make up, scheme, and fuss some more. . . . There aren't a lot of novels specific to lesbian seniors who want something reflective of their lives so seek out Dot & Ralfie. If you're tired of the usual literature, it's the perfect alternative."--Terri Schlichenmeyer, Out in Jersey "Amy Hoffman creates unforgettable characters, and her scintillating wit keeps things lively even in the face of the decline that awaits us all."--Alison Bechdel, author of The Secret to Superhuman Strength "Amy Hoffman has a unique talent for winning over her readers with distinctive characters, precise, effortless prose, and deadpan humor that can break your heart on one page and have you LOL-ing on the next. Dot & Ralfie is a shrewd examination of the many indignities of aging, economic inequality, and the broken healthcare system, all masked as an irresistible domestic comedy."--Stephen McCauley, author of My Ex-Life