Frank and Red by Matt CoyneSynopsis: “Sometimes, the friend you need is the one you never saw coming. Frank and Red are a mess. Frank is a grumpy old curmudgeon. A recluse whose only company is the ‘ghost’ of his dead wife, Marcie. He is estranged from his friends, his son, and the ever-changing world beyond his front gate. . . . And then Red moves in next door. Red is six. A boy struggling to adjust to the separation of his mum and dad, a new school, and the demonic school bully. Red is curious, smart, he never stops talking, and he’s got a trampoline. From the moment Red’s blonde mop appears over the top of the fence that divides their two gardens, the unlikeliest of friendships is born. . . . And it is a friendship that will change both of their lives forever.”

My Review

I loved this audiobook so much, I’m not surprised so many people are loving it!

Set in London, it’s told from both Frank and Red’s points of view, as the story of their unlikely friendship is slowly revealed.

I loved both Frank and Red two, completely different characters who ended up needing each other more than they wanted to admit. Red moves into the neighbourhood after his parents have spilt up, so he has no friends nearby or at the new school he starts going to. Frank is a grumpy widower who lives next door and talks to his dead wife Marcie all day, and she seems to speak back to him!

They are thrown together when Red is suspended from school and needs someone to look after him for a week. Red’s Mum can’t get the time off work and so Frank reluctantly ends up doing it. I loved how they adapted to each other and I got to know more about both of them as they spent that time together. There were some very funny moments, especially when Frank’s friend Fat Ken turns up to help mend the fence.

The story then takes a bit of a dramatic turn when Red decides to help Frank with a delicate situation, which ends up with him getting lost on the London Underground. I won’t say anything else as I don’t want to spoil it for you.

I loved the narration by James Killeen, a new-to-me narrator whose voice talents were perfect for this story. I’m definitely keen to listen to more audiobooks read by him.

Highly recommended if you enjoy books about unlikely friendships.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Wildfire for my copy via the NetGalley App.