{"product_id":"dot-ralfie-paperback","title":"Dot \u0026 Ralfie - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAmy Hoffman\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDorothy \"Dot\" Greenbaum and Rafaela \"Ralfie\" Santopietro have been together for years, but as they age, their stable lives begin to show cracks. Ralfie can't navigate the stairs in their home after a debilitating knee replacement and Dot's heart condition throws into question the viability of their careers, their housing, and their relationship. In their late sixties with no kids to lean on, the two women must come to terms with unforeseen questions of identity, love, and family. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Dot is caring but hides hurtful secrets. Ralfie's gruffness masks the physical and emotional pain she endures. Friends and relatives don't necessarily offer appealing role models for their third act. Dot's sister Susan is pushing them toward a stuffy \"55 or better\" community out in the 'burbs, populated by aging straights who mistake the butch Ralfie for a frumpy old man. Eighty-year-old Viola-Dot's friend and sometime lover-lives alone and refuses help, even as she experiences a devastating fall. Rife with Hoffman's characteristic wit, \u003ci\u003eDot \u0026amp; Ralfie\u003c\/i\u003e takes a hard, sometimes painful look at elder care in the LGBTQ+ community, and the unique struggles that come with getting older outside of heteronormative structures.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmy Hoffman is the author of the novel \u003ci\u003eThe Off Season\u003c\/i\u003e and the memoirs \u003ci\u003eLies about My Family\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAn Army of Ex-Lovers\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eHospital Time\u003c\/i\u003e. Formerly the editor in chief of \u003ci\u003eWomen's Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e, she currently teaches writing at Emerson College and in the Solstice Low-Residency MFA Program. Her writing has appeared in the \u003ci\u003eBoston Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ethe Gay \u0026amp; Lesbian Review\u003c\/i\u003e, and other publications.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 160\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.33 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 26, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42697362341951,"sku":"9780299333645","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/99017250655f2c3b0f30fedb114b29a6.webp?v=1765009179","url":"https:\/\/dhl-adrianne.myshopify.com\/products\/dot-ralfie-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}