Herb Atlas has lived a good life. He is quite rich and lives in a mansion in Key West. He has had a couple of good marriages and children who are now grown. But as Herb is in his eighties, things are changing. His beloved wife, Susan, has dementia and needs constant care, something that Herb is not physically able to provide. Some of the health care professionals he hires Susan likes, some she tolerates and some send her into screaming fits. Herb is starting to fail physically himself and it's getting tough.

Then comes Renee, really named Dee Dee. She is a manicurist and has such a sparkling happy personality that everyone is happy around her, especially Susan. She is the person that can handle Susan's needs the best, although Herb suspects there is more to Renee's background than she is telling.

Dee Dee is in love. She met William who lives in a treehouse like apartment. He seems to do nothing but read and run and make love to her but as time goes on she starts to suspect that he is also from the upper, monied class. She finds herself pregnant and instead of being happy, William is appalled.

Herb's children all show up and host an intervention. They insist he can't take care of Susan anymore and they have found a care home that will take them both. Soon, the house is on the market and everything Herb loves is boxed up to be sold or given to his children. His life is scooped out from under him. But is it? Herb has one more surprise left in him.

Lee Smith is a Southern writing queen. Very few authors can capture the Southern personality and culture the way that she can. Her books center on disturbing topics and this one is no different; dementia, child abuse, sexual slavery and fatal illnesses. But her deft writing comes down on the optimistic sunny side and the book leaves the reader satisfied and full of hope. This book is recommended for readers of women's and Southern fiction.

This book has a cute cover and the title "Silver Alert" made me laugh, so I grabbed it because as I'm getting old I like to read about other older people and what kind of situations they get themselves into. The published description:

"This funny and endearing novel of family, secrets, and aging follows an elderly man who heads off on a joyride with a new young friend—who may have some secrets of her own.

Aging Herb’s charmed life with his dear wife, Susan, in their Key West house is coming undone. Susan now needs constant care, and Herb is in denial about his own ailing health. The one bright spot is the arrival of an endlessly optimistic manicurist calling herself Renee. She sings to Susan during manicures, gets her to paint, and brings her a sense of contentment.

But then Herb and Susan’s adult children arrive to stage an intervention on their stubborn, independent father, and as a consequence, Renee’s gig with Susan—and her grand plans for her own life—start to unravel as well. So much had seemed as if it could change for Renee, who is not the happy, uncomplicated young girl she pretends to be. She is actually named Dee Dee, and she’s fleeing a dark past.

And Herb can’t just let go of all that he has ever had. So, he suggests one last joy ride in his Porsche. And the two take off north out of Key West, soon setting off a Silver Alert. As the unlikely friendship between Herb and Dee Dee deepens, we see how as one life is closing down, another opens up.

In this buoyant novel, the masterful Smith What do we deserve? And how do we make it our own? Sometimes, you just have to seize the wheel."

Herb was a fun-loving man, but yeah - he needed help. It's hard for children when their parents need care but won't admit it. Herb needed help even though he wouldn't admit it, and his wife, Susan definitely needed full-time care. It was fun reading about Herb's adventure. It made me laugh a little even though I was concerned about what would happen to him.

Thanks to Algonquin Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.

🌴🌅A story with loads of heart👥

4.5🌟 stars
My opinion of this novel kept changing; in my final analysis, I'd say yes, I really enjoyed it because of the two main protagonists (important word choice that is explained at the story's conclusion). This could have been a black tragedy but one character's sunny attitude toward life kept the dark at bay.

Octogenarian Herb Atlas is a curmudgeon, but one who's loved his wives and kept his spirit despite illness, his rapidly fading third wife and the relatives who want to shuffle them off from his beautiful pink mansion in Key West to senior living. Then a naive girl from the hill country of North Carolina enters his life and brings some peace for his wife Susan and a lightness and brightness that cannot be denied. Dee Dee has moved through poverty and exploitation, yet through it all she just can't stop wondering at the little joys and touching others with her positivity and song.

The story alternates mostly between Herb's and Dee Dee's points of view and there's no mistaking one from the other. Dee Dee's story is so packed with details it seemed a bit like Kerouac's stream of consciousness style (but with a lot shorter sentences!). The sad details of her experience make her attitude that much sweeter. I was not sure I needed all the nitty gritty of her thoughts but it turned out she enchanted me with her pure spirit and her ability to survive tough times to dwell on the happier moments.

The novel's not long but it provided me with plenty of food for thought about how tweaks in attitude can have a huge impact on the way we live and age. A seemingly sad subject morphed into a paean to enjoying every day lived.😊

Thanks to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Book: Silver Alert
Author: Lee Smith
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Algonquin Books, for sending me an ARC.

In this one, we follow an elderly couple and their caretaker. Herb lives this amazing life with his wife, Susan, in Key West, Florida. Everything is perfect. They have the perfect house, the perfect marriage, and everything going for them. There is this young woman, called Renee, who comes and takes care of them. This all changes very quickly. Susan has Alzheimer's Disease and Herb has his medical issues. Their grown children come to town one day and decide that them living together is no longer an option. They start boarding up the family home and plan on sending Herb and Susan to a different town. Herb doesn’t want to go and is in denial as to how bad things are. He decides to stage a little rebellion. He takes Renee, who has her secrets, and his Porsche out for one last joy ride. This causes a silver alert to be issued for him.

I’m going, to be honest here. I was not a big fan of the writing. I know that Lee Smith is very popular and well-known for her pose. However, I found certain parts of it to be awkward. The words run into each other, which I found to be very distracting. I know that this was done as a technique to show us the characters slipping away and all. It also failed to engross me fully in the story. This is a very emotional story, but, yet, there were times that I did not feel it. Herb is going through some major life changes, but, yet, the emotional element wasn’t there. I know that he was shutting down, but still, there should have been something. Renee/Dee-Dee also has her point of view characters and they were lacking the punch that they needed as well.

This may all stem from the fact that I felt the characters’ voices could have been stronger. Both Herb and Renee/Dee-Dee have their point of view chapters, in which we get to know both them and their stories. There were times that I felt it was very difficult to remember who was telling the story. Both of these characters come from different walks of life. Herb is very wealthy and Renee/Dee-Dee is not. They aren’t even close in age. Now, I am not saying that people of different ages cannot have similar voices. What I am saying is that there should have been some more development to give them a stronger voice.

I did enjoy the relationship between the couple and Renee/Dee-Dee. They have a very caring relationship with one another. They were all in each others’ lives at the right moment and gave each other their chance when they needed it. They do truly care for each other. The relationships and bonds between the characters are what made this book for me. We kind of do get the sense of coldness between Herb and his children though. It does make sense, given everything that is happening. Herb wants to stay with the life that he has had and knows. He doesn’t want these changes. Seeing this unfold through his eyes is something that we don’t often see. Many times it is told from the point of view of the children. I thought this was a nice and refreshing change.

This book is about people coming into your life at the right time even if you don’t know that you need them. This is very clear in Renee/Dee-Dee’s story. She has no one in the world who cares. She has made some questionable life choices. She is trying to better herself, but life keeps pushing her down. She needs someone to help her out. Herb and Susan need someone in their lives to help them out and give them some joy. Their paths cross at just the right moment and give them all the life that they need. Even though they are not of any blood relation, they form this family of their own and will do whatever it takes to try to hold it together. It’s a sweet relationship, one that will remind you of grandparents and grandchildren.

Overall, there were things that I liked about this book and things that I didn’t. I would have liked to have given it a higher rating, but certain elements held me back from doing so.

This book comes out on April 18, 2023.

The quirky characters in this book were entertaining, but the story at times was a bit confusing. The writing was often from the first person perspective, which I often enjoy; however, in this book, I often found it to be disjointed and difficult to follow. In addition, I just couldn't get past the darker elements running beneath the story. The loss/abdication of control of Herb and his life was bad enough; but when combined Dee Dee's naivete and her tragic backstory, I just couldn't get into the book like I wanted to. I kept waiting for the world to come crashing down around Herb and Dee Dee.

TRIGGER WARNING: Lots of bad language

I really wanted to love Silver Alert, as the synopsis sounded so good.

Unfortunately, this novel had a writing style that I could jut not get into no matter how hard I tried. The beginning seemed OK and then the novel seemed to be all over the place and it just didn’t make sense or interest me. Far from being funny, Herb was foul-mouthed and the bad language was too much. The book had some good visuals of the setting but I soon lost interest in the story.

DNF at 19%.

Thanks to Lee Smith and Algonquin Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

Herb Atlas is losing everything he loves: his wife to Alzheimer’s, his home, his health. At 86, he has amassed a fortune that cannot slow the passage of time. When Renee (DeeDee) enters his life as a nail stylist for his wife, Susan, he sees this joyful young woman as a gift to Susan. Renee always manages to calm and soothe Susan.
It is a story of young and old, of a horrible life and a better one and of life proceeding through it all.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Silver Alert by Lee Smith, a book of only 224 pages, is short on length but long on meaningful messages.

The setting is Key West, in a beautiful pink house, where we meet 70-year-old Susan, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She’s forgetful about events, people, places and even simple tasks. And as is typical of the disease, she can be irrational and violent. Her husband, Herb, is dedicated to helping his dear wife.

The story continues with the arrival of caregivers who assist with Susan. It takes a few chapters for the plot to build as these new characters are introduced. Beneath the story of this aging couple, is the theme of living life each day, taking opportunities that come, and the overarching trope of never giving up. For this couple, growing old does not have to mean growing up.

Language warning.

Lee Smith is a magician! Silver Alert had me smiling and laughing and left me happy. Her characters are wonderful and loveable. And yet, their lives are filled with hardship: sexual abuse, facing death, watching a loved in decline.

Octogenarian Herbert Atlas has been told his days are numbered. His first, beloved wife dead, and his second beloved wife Susan has dementia. One day a pretty girl with a snaggle tooth rings the doorbell. She was hired by Susan’s daughter to give her a pedicure. “If you can get her to sit still,” Herb tells her. Susan is having a very bad day, angry and violent.

The girl has a way with Susan, calming her right down. She is hired as a part time day nurse, working her magic on Susan. Dee Dee is a life-saver. She has given a fake name and she is hiding a troubled past. Her mother was an addict, and after her death the man who took ‘care of’ Dee Dee was anything but fatherly. She escaped into a worse life. Now, she has left that life and has big dreams. Like seeing Disneyland. And she met a nice boy who she hopes loves her.

Susan and Herb’s family makes an intervention; it was time for Herb and Susan to move out of their Florida mansion into care facilities. But first, Herb and Dee Dee take a little ride that turns into a Silver Alert–a missing senior–that takes Herb down Memory Lane and opens a new world to Dee Dee.

The story is told through chapters alternating between Herb and Dee Dee, allowing us to learn their histories.

Absolutely delightful! Hopeful and bright, a reminder to live life your way.

Thanks to Algonquin Books for a free book.

Sweet story about getting old - nearing the end and meeting someone who's just finding herself.

Quick read, good storyline and very likeable characters.

Getting older doesn't have to mean that all of the fun and adventures of life are over. This book is a sweet story. Takes awhile to get into the characters, but give it time.

Herbert, 83, never dreamed that he would end up being the caregiver for his wife, Susan, who is 13 years younger than he and yet Alzheimer's has left the beautiful vibrant woman in need of more than he can give her as prostate cancer invades his body. But her rebels when their children seek to force them into a care facility. Renee, a young woman who comes to the house to give Susan manicures has a calming presence for Susan and Herbert and provides Herbert with the excuse he needs to run away from his home in Key West - he decides to take her Disney World to realize her dream of seeing the princesses. And Renee is also fleeing her past. A story of losing and gaining control of one's one life and the relationships we build along the way.

Anyone else having issues with the formatting of this ARC? The letters of each word overlap. I tried to unscramble it, but it became a chore. Disappointed because this book looks like it offers a good story.

What a gem! “Silver Alert” is a delightful and insightful read. On the surface, it perhaps seems like a trifle but when you dig in there’s quite a lot of meat inside. Most of the story involves a young naïve Renee (not her real name) manicurist and Herb, an elderly man facing prostate cancer, a wife with Alzheimer’s and his children making decisions for him. A final joy ride in his yellow Porsche provides a temporary escape for both of them. The dialog is funny and charming. The characters are quirky and flawed. But the essence of the story is very thoughtful. Aging seniors, caregiving, sexual exploitation, trafficking, independence, kindness are some of the serious topics covered. What really distinguished this book for me was the absolutely fabulous ending. It brought everything together and left the reader with both tears and a smile. Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for an advanced readers copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Silver Alert by Lee Smith is a character-driven novel. Smith writes about tough topics such as sex trafficking, dementia, wealth and poverty, and ageism with interesting, real, and offbeat characters.
The story unfolds between the narratives of Herb, the wealthy Key West senior, and Renee, real name, DeeDee, the young manicurist, escaping her horrible life.
Herb’s third wife Susan has dementia, and his health is declining as well. Renee, a young manicurist is hired to provide Susan with a mani/pedi. She gets Susan to paint and is one of the few people Susan isn’t aggressive towards.

Herb and Susan’s children have an intervention to move to a facility where they both have round-the-clock care.
On moving day, Herb and Renee go for a short drive in his canary yellow Porsche and you learn more about Herb and Renee.

This is not my usual genre, however, I really enjoyed this book. The dialogue and characters, and the setting in Florida was entertaining.

Thank you @netgalley and @AlgonquinBooks for the ebook arc. #silveralert #netgalley #AlgonquinBooks

This book will make you rethink about old age. The book is about an old man, Herb, who takes off on a joyride with a new young friend. His wife needs round the clock care and his health is failing. Renee, a manicurist comes into their lives and make a world of difference for Susan. with her unusual practices. Herb and Susan's children stage an intervention. Renee's real name is Dee Dee and she has secrets of her own. Herb suggests to Dee Dee one last ride in his Porsche and their unlikely friendship deepens.

I love Lee Smith. Silver Alert is a really good novel. What is not to like about Fla, road trips and friendship npo ,matter how unlikely.

Lee Smith's latest, Silver Alert, pairs a wealthy Key West senior citizen with a mountain girl still in her teens.

Calling herself Renee, the mountain girl arrives at Herb Atlas' mansion to give his wife a manicure. The wife is paralyzed by Alzheimer's, but Renee's manner gentles the wife and rekindles some of the wife's fire.

Herb is over the moon. He'knows that Renee has a gift and that her name isn't Renee.

Herb is a blowhard with a heart. Renee is a breathy butterfly. Smith has created two of her best characters ever.

This book holds a hidden gem of a story that is not fully realized until the very end. For me, it was a bit of a slow start to get into the beginning of the book and its characters, but halfway through things come together in a way that reveals a mystery and moves toward an ending for one of the prime characters that you will root hard for. Very satisfying. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.