Title: Be Frank With Me

Author: Julia Claiborne Johnson

Read in: July 2016

Two-Sentence Summary: Editorial assistant lands a gig babysitting the son of a reclusive writer trying to pen a new book. The kid is peculiar, and chaos, lots of it, ensues.

File this one under, “Was on the waiting list for this one so long can’t remember who recommended it or why I wanted to read it in the first place.” I love when this happens, and I dive into a book I know nothing about, and end up loving it. That was this book.

BFWM is has a similar feel to Where’d You Go Bernadette, which I read a few years ago and enjoyed but didn’t love it like some of my friends did. In this one, though, that Frank, the child is such an adorable kid, along with the Harper Lee/Salinger-esque recluse writer of a mother who adores the son but can’t manage a social conversation to save her life.

The story is laid out from the perspective of a fish out of water, an editorial assistant of the publishing company who will be publishing the follow up to this Great American novelist, sent to LA from New York to ensure the writer is, well writing.

I can’t say enough about Frank. He dresses like he should have been in the talkies in teh 20s, and his intellect isn’t comparable. On one hand I think about what it would be like to have a child like Frank and how it would drive me crazy. On the other hand I know I’ll never meet a kid like this so I savor the crazy dressing, the insane imagination.

Recommended for: Bernadette fans