Silver Alert

A story told from different perspectives, this latest from Smith (Dimestore; The Last Girls) brings together two very different characters, Dee Dee and Herb, on a strange journey through Florida. Dee Dee (under an assumed name) is hired by Herb Atlas, a wealthy man in Key West, to give pedicures to his wife Susan, who has Alzheimer’s. Dee Dee seems to connect with Susan in a way that others can’t. Meanwhile, Herb finds out about a cancer diagnosis and grapples with his own failing health. When his adult children arrive and insist on his checking into an assisted living place with his wife, Dee Dee shows up to say her goodbyes—only to end up on the road with Herb for one final jaunt in his Porsche. What was supposed to be a little ride around town turns into a road trip to Disney World, a place Dee Dee has always wanted to visit. The plot is told through the points of view of Dee Dee and Herb, and readers never quite know what will happen next to the unlikely companions.