Betty Fussell [memoir] HOW TO COOK A COYOTE

This review by Dwight Garner discusses Betty Fussell’s new memoir, How to Cook a Coyote: The Joy of Old Age, which reflects on the challenges and humor of aging at 98.
Overview of the Memoir

The Premise: The book is framed around Fussell preparing a final ambitious meal—coyote pie—and serves as a companion to M.F.K. Fisher’s wartime classic How to Cook a Wolf.

Theme of Aging: Fussell explores the “scarcities” of advanced age, including near-blindness, relocation to assisted living, and the transition from a full kitchen to a microwave.

Vibrancy and Humor: Despite physical limitations, she maintains her sharp wit and appetite, describing how she uses her walker as an “aggressive tank” at farmers’ markets.

Reflections on Life and Legacy

Relationships: Fussell candidly discusses her late-life lovers and her complex, lasting emotional connection to her ex-husband, the late critic Paul Fussell.

Literary Career: The review highlights her status as one of America’s most “cerebral” food writers, noting her previous works like My Kitchen Wars and the essay collection Eat, Live, Love, Die.

Family Dynamics: She recounts the “white heat” of her divorce and the eventual estrangement of her children from their father due to his second marriage.

Key Takeaways

The “Coyote” Symbolism: She views the coyote as a trickster and shape-shifter; her “coyote pie” (made with meat sourced from the Hudson Valley) represents a defiant final act of culinary creativity.

Final Wisdom: The book emphasizes the importance of maintaining a sense of humor to navigate the “stiffening bodies and hardening brains” of old age.

Publication Details

Author: Betty Fussell

Publisher: Counterpoint

Length/Price: 164 pp. / $27

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