Harry Herndon is making a nostalgic trip to relive his past, but he is 'on the lam' because he has Alzheimer's. Fourteen year old Jay is being foisted on Rose, his mother, who is estranged from his dad, and she is not looking forward to meeting her son, Jay, at the airport. Jackson, Jay's dad, is in Africa for a month with 'Doctors Without Borders'. Jay meets Harry on the airplane and so begins an adventure that throws every one's life into turmoil.
I found the premise intriguing because I have had some experience with Alzheimer's disease in my own mother. The progression of the disease plays a big role in this story, but really, it is a story of a boy from a broken home, in search of love and acceptance. The old man and the boy go missing and as their respective families begin searching for them, the issues that each of them face, come home to roost, and must be dealt with.
It is a good story, but not really well written, except toward the very end when it becomes quite poignant. The conversations are jerky and at times crass, but the overall direction of the story is heartwarming. Although Alzheimer's effects each victim a bit differently, I believe the author is taking some literary licence when it comes to Harry's thought processes. There is too much emphasis on memory loss, when the disease is about so much more than that.
But, it is a fiction novel and if one is not too critical about accuracy in the details, the story works.
3 stars
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