Millard Salter's Last Day - by Jacob M Appel (Paperback)

About the Book

"In an effort to forestall the frailty and isolation of old age, psychiatrist Millard Salter intends to kill himself at the end of the day-but not before he ties up his life's loose ends. These include a with his ne'er-do-well youngest son, Lysander, who at 43 has yet to hold down a paying job; an unscheduled rendezvous with his first wife, Carol, whom he hasn't seen in 27 years; and a brief visit to the grave of his second wife, Isabelle, with whom he fathered an illegitimate child. Yet on what he intends to be the final day of his life, Millard has also assumed a far greater responsibility: to assist a theater director suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease in ending her own life with a helium hood. Complicating this plan is that, during the months since Compassionate Endings has paired Millard with Delilah, the widower has fallen in love with her. As Millard sets about wrapping up his life, he confronts a lifetime of challenges during a single day: a narcissistic colleague intent on having his job, an obsessive administrator browbeating him for a report that will doom his colleagues, and an escaped lynx that is roaming the hospital in search of prey. Meanwhile, as Millard prepares for his impending suicide, his family is planning a surprise for him of its own"--

Book Synopsis

In the spirit of the New York Times bestselling A Man Called Ove, this is the heartwarming story of a man who decides to end his life before he's too old--but then begins to reconsider when he faces complications from the world around him.

Review Quotes

"Millard Salter's Last Day wins readers in a number of ways."-- "The Associated Press"

"Millard calls up comparisons to the late John Updike's visited and revisited character, Rabbit."-- "The Associated Press"

"The author has a gift for schtick -- above all, Jewish New York City schtick. And in spite of Salter's claim to being in a profound funk, when all is said and done, the man is full of life."-- "The Associated Press"

"The author is clever -- coy, even -- in how he treats the reader. He has Salter tease us. Thus, our protagonist can be exceedingly comical, careening from innermost stream of consciousness to conversations with workaday hospital colleagues to quirky, lovable family and friends."-- "The Associated Press"

"The more we get to know Millard Salter, the more we want him to live."-- "The Associated Press"