A funny and endearing novel of family, secrets, and aging, about an elderly man who, rather than give up his independence, heads off on a joyride with a new young friend who has some secrets of her own—by a bestselling and beloved giant of Southern fiction.
Hardcover
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Summary
A funny and endearing novel of family, secrets, and aging, about an elderly man who, rather than give up his independence, heads off on a joyride with a new young friend who has some secrets of her own—by a bestselling and beloved giant of Southern fiction.
Description
Herb has a secret: he's not quite the man he once was. And when his children learn of this, they decide it is time to move him and his wife, Susan, who is slipping into early Alzheimer's herself out of their Key West home and into assisted living. But curmudgeonly Herb—annoyed with his kids and unsettled by the ever-changing world—is not going quietly.
He has one trusted friend, a young woman named Renee who has been helping to care for Susan. But Renee, too, is guarding secrets of her own, trying to start over after a truncated childhood where she had to abandon her dreams and her talents, and disappointed by a boyfriend who refuses to commit.
Together, Herb and Renee—who is really Dee Dee—take off on one last joyride up the Florida Keys, setting off a Silver Alert, and, ultimately, setting up a moment where Dee Dee can come into her own.
What life do we deserve? And how do we make it our own? In this funny, heartwarming novel, Silver Alert shows us how sometimes, you just have to seize the narrative.
Critic Reviews
“"This hilarious, timely and emotional novel will reframe the way you think about the golden years. Herb and Renee's friendship leads to a high-octane twist that will leave you breathless. Silver Alert is a shimmering arrow that aims straight for the heart." -- Adriana Trigiani, author of The Good Left Undone”
"Smith's latest is as delicious as a slice of key lime pie – and gone just as fast."—People
“Silver Alert is Lee Smith at the top of her game, and that is a high bar indeed. It’s brilliantly paced with some of the most energetic prose I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. The characters of Herb Atlas and Dee Dee are a pair for the ages, who you will long remember after the fall of the last page.”—David Baldacci, author of Dream Town
"There are many ways to read Lee Smith’s excellent new novel Silver Alert, but I view it as the toll old age has taken on her characters, with all its indignities and absurdities, as well as a wry view of America itself. Staged in iconic Key West, the improviser’s Paradise, it’s an implied prayer for our expressing kindness in gestures large and small."—Ann Beattie, author of The Accomplished Guest
“Lee Smith’s Silver Alert doesn’t just soar. It seems at times to defy the laws of literary gravity. That a book so full of hope should emerge right now is truly remarkable.” —Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls and Chances Are….
"This hilarious, timely and emotional novel will reframe the way you think about the golden years. Herb and Renee's friendship leads to a high-octane twist that will leave you breathless. Silver Alert is a shimmering arrow that aims straight for the heart." —Adriana Trigiani, author of The Good Left Undone
“Smith skillfully pivots from wry humor to real tenderness toward her quirkily engaging characters. Beneath the novel’s occasionally frothy surface beats a compassionate, generous heart. A warmhearted story of improbably matched characters trying to reclaim their lives.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Silver Alert is classic Lee Smith: laugh-out-loud funny and deeply moving, full of endearing, complex characters who become real people to the reader. ...a lovely, raucous look at life in Key West, growing old, and unlikely friendships.”—Garden Gun, The Best New Books for Southerners in 2023
“Silver Alert is classic Lee Smith: laugh-out-loud funny and deeply moving, full of endearing, complex characters who become real people to the reader. ...a lovely, raucous look at life in Key West, growing old, and unlikely friendships.” —Silas House—Garden Gun, The Best New Books for Southerners in 2023
“Silver Alert is rich with Lee Smith’s gift for vivid storytelling and memorable asides … at once lively, grim, funny, and poignant.”—Chapter16.org
“Likely to resonate with fans of Marian Keyes, Lynda Rutledge, and Andrew J. Graff, Smith's novel is an incisive and heartwarming exploration of life's fragile phases.”—Booklist
“With themes of living life to the fullest and second chances, Lee Smith’s Silver Alert would make a perfect 2023 beach read.”—Reader's Digest, 25 Best Fiction Books of 2023 (So Far)
“Nobody mines the bittersweet absurdities of Southern family life and living better than prolific, masterful storyteller Lee Smith… Silver Alert…takes readers on a deeply meaningful, unforgettable ride brimming with hope.”—Shelf Awareness
“There's plenty of charm...this is a treat.”—Publishers Weekly
“Lovable characters and a gripping story.”—The Bookworm
“When I hear there is another book by Lee Smith, it brightens my day. There are only a handful of authors who elicit that response.”—Tuscaloosa News
"No one has tapped into Southern truths quite like the Virginia-raised author. Just ask the legion of writers who praise her for guiding their own stories."—Garden Gun
About the Author
Lee Smith began writing stories at the age of nine and selling them for a nickel apiece. Since then, she has written seventeen works of fiction, including Fair and Tender Ladies, Oral History, Guests on Earth, and most recently, Dimestore. She has received many awards, including the North Carolina Award for Literature and an Academy Award in Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; her novel The Last Girls was a New York Times bestseller as well as winner of the Southern Book Critics Circle Award.
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