Frankie by Graham Norton

 

Elderly Frankie, restricted to home following a fall, has a young carer foisted on her. As Frankie gradually warms to her carer, Damien, she recounts her life filled with heartache, disillusionment and love.

Graham Norton has created a wonderful character in Frankie and produced a story that completely immerses you in her life. I took Frankie to heart as the author led us through the ups and downs, far too many downs, of her life.

When we first meet Frankie she's an eighty-four-year-old, living in a flat in London. The flat is stuffed with dark wooden furniture and has walls covered in paintings and photographs. Recovering from a fall, Frankie is adamant she doesn't need a carer but her glamorous best friend, Nor, refuses to listen. As a result, Damien is employed to stay overnight. Neither Frankie nor Damien are looking forward to their time together. Ever the professional, Damien does his job well and gradually chips away at Frankie until she begins to share her life story with him, a story that wildly exceeds expectations.

Life growing up in 1950s Ireland had been fairly normal for young Frances Howe until she became an orphan at the age of ten. I was filled with sadness as Frankie discovered her parent's fate and then learnt that she was to live with her religious aunt and uncle. The only joy Frankie found was with the family of her friend Norah. 

At the age of eighteen Frankie was married off to a much older man. The period of time between being orphaned to being married really hit home to me how little control women had over their lives. Decisions were made for them, whether they liked them or not. We also witness the double standards that frequently occur between the genders as Frankie struggles to be a perfect wife.

Problems in the marriage cause Frankie to flee to London where she witnesses a completely different lifestyle. She is fortunate enough to land on her feet, mixing with affluent friends. From here, Frankie is propelled to New York and a situation that will fill you with rage at the way in which she is so casually and viciously treated. Thankfully, there are people who show her kindness and Frankie is able to build a life and find love. Unfortunately, fate is waiting around the corner to bring her life crashing down.

You would expect eighty-four-year-old Frankie to be bitter and resentful as a result of everything that life has thrown at her. However, I saw a woman of her time, calm, resilient and accepting of life's blows but with a core of steel. When life knocked her down, she'd get back up, dust herself off and say "Is that the best you've got?". 

Frankie by Graham Norton will be published on the 12th September 2024 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Staughton for a review copy.

Author Details

Graham Norton has written four other novels, all Sunday Times bestsellers, in the UK and Ireland. His fiction writing has won him critical acclaim from across all media and the literary community. Holding won the An Post Irish Book Award for Popular Fiction. A Keeper was shortlisted for both the Specsavers Popular Fiction Award and the Irish Book Award for Popular Fiction. Home Stretch won the Irish Book Award for Popular Fiction and has been optioned for a major TV series. Holding was made into a high-profile ITV drama, directed by Kathy Burke, and Forever Home was shortlisted at the 2022 Irish Book Awards.