Betty Brogan is quite possibly the last Southern Belle. Born unbelievably beautiful into a prosperous family in an otherwise poor Appalachian town, Betty is spoiled, self-involved, entitled, and outrageous. She refuses to follow the rules because the rules are for everyone else. And yet, it’s nearly impossible to not like her because she is so full of life, kind, and generous. Betty is the sun and everyone else simply lives in her orbit. From her traumatized, shy housekeeper Cora to damaged war veteran Handyman Hank, and from tenacious Granny Sutton and her pet goose Clark Gable to Granny’s “adopted” daughter, Sissy, who is both physically disabled and Black, everyone in Summitville lives in Betty’s shadow and in the shadow of her grand home, Justice House. Here you’ll meet many of her lovers (and there are a lot of them), the rambunctious twins who wreck her house and steal her heart, the town’s football hero, Paul Ridley, as well as B.C., who can’t seem to outrun his youthful Summer of Betty, the befuddled Reverend Jonah, the tragic Everett Thornton, and so many others who populate this homage to small Southern towns and the colorful, secretive, but good people who live there. Not to mention her unique dog Hush Puppy.
Told through a series of short stories, Betty’s life breathes through her interactions with the citizens of Summitville, taking her through the tragic, sudden death of her parents, the turbulent Vietnam War, a series of love affairs, the loss of her greatest love, and the family she builds around her from childhood until her last breath at Justice House.