The Way Back by Bill Whiting

His wife has died, his son lives far away, and he hates living alone.  When his son asks him to invest some money in a new enterprise, he does.  When it fails, he loses his house.  So he has to go to a nursing home...

Troubador Publishing and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up.  Now I'm getting older and see some signs on me that I saw on them.  (Wrinkles for example.)  I enjoy chatting with older people, they always have interesting stories. The old man featured in this tale has an interesting story, too.

He's to the point of considering suicide when he decides to run away from the home.  He'll find himself a place to stay (he could always camp) and he'll figure out how to make it on his own.  He has saved up money, checked where the cameras and guards are and he readies himself to make his escape.

The first obstacle he runs into is a dog who appears to be aggressive.  He feeds him the sandwiches he had packed for himself and almost runs away.  The dog follows but he's limping and not moving fast.  When he gets to the caravan park, he pays for the one he rented and moves in with his few belongings.  Soon the dog shows up.  He tries to run him away, ignores him and eventually invites him in.  He's got a friend now.

He meets the woman in the caravan next door.  She has a cat.  He likes her and they chat.  He's spent half his savings on the dog who needed vet care.  Now he has to worry about the dog and cat getting along.  

This is a sweet tale of old people finding a companion late in life that gives them conversation, shared meals, and affection.  They still have some rough spots ahead of them but with someone who cares it's often easier to get past the point of trouble.

I enjoyed reading this book.  It was like visiting my grandparents again.