Be Frank with Me

by Julia Claiborne Johnson

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

Frank Banning is a nine-year-old aficionado of 1940s musicals with an eccentric writer mother. When Alice comes to stay and keep an eye on Mimi whole she writes her new book, Frank is apprehensive of this stranger in his home. But with time, patience, and trust, the two become fast friends.

While it is never expressly discussed in the book, it’s clear to me that Frank Banning is somewhere on the autism scale. He’s a sweet child and extraordinarily smart, spouting facts at every turn and requiring reminders for certain social queues. His mother is ill-equipped to help him survive in the harsh world, and school is torture for him. Instead of going through traditional means for such a gifted child, Mimi squirrels him away and spends her life sheltering him and trying to make him happy. Other than his mother, the handyman Xander is the only person who young Frank can rely on.

In comes Alice. When Alice joins the Banning family, she has to learn the rules: don’t touch Frank’s things, and don’t touch Frank. As long as she follows the rules, there shouldn’t be disaster.

So while I had some fundamental issues with how the adults took care of Frank… Frank himself melted my heart. He is in many ways a young Sheldon Cooper, but far more endearing. In his top hats and tailcoats, he’s simply sensational.

I really don’t have a lot to say about Be Frank With Me. It was very much a character book, so if you don’t love the characters going in, you probably won’t enjoy the novel. I loved the characters – all of them, even grumpy, frantic Mimi – so it worked out very well for me. Despite the plot not really going anywhere – it’s more a “slice of life” thing – the pacing was good and I was never bored.

For those who enjoyed Where’d You Go Bernadette or The Rosie Project, I think Be Frank with Me is a good choice. It’s a great contemporary with great characters, perfect for a vacation read or to break a slump.