Wow! The author has given us a book so clearly detailed, so real feeling, and so remarkably lifelike that I came away from reading it feeling like I actually KNOW the title character. What an amazing debut! If I had to choose just one outstanding example of the book's greatness, I would point to the dialogue. Each new character has a unique and distinctive voice, and the way they interact and communicate is so well laid out you will swear you can actually hear all of them.
Though the book sometimes deals with some uncomfortable subject matter, it is overbalanced by scenes both sweet and hilariously funny. It is a tribute to the author's skill that he can move me from bittersweet nostalgia to wincing in sympathy to (literally) laughing out loud, all in one cohesive book.
By now it should be obvious that I recommend this book. I encourage everyone to buy and read this book, in no small measure because there is room for a sequel here, and I want to find out more about the life laid out in Betty's Child.