I first met Frank Bascombe back in the mid 90's, when he was grieving over the death of a child in 'The Sportswriter.' Later, he was divorced and putting his life together again as a real estate agent. and then, in 'Independence Day,' he was putting things together again and had met someone. And here he is again, now 68, back in Haddam where it began, for this short novel, in four parts.

Frank has always been good company in these books. In each of them, he's usually funny, often wise, and trying to work things out the best he can. These four stories find Frank moving towards his last stage in life. He visits ex-wife Anne, has an unexpected visitor to his home, and goes to visit an old friend. It all takes place in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, where he goes to survey the damage to his old home, now sold.

I'm glad I've read these novels in order. We meet Frank Bascombe at different stages of his life, over a thirty year period, carrying his life experiences. Now towards the end, he's trying to keep returning to his 'default self,' keeping things as simple as possible and just being with people, where possible. He's still living his quiet, introspective life.

I always enjoy Frank's company and part of me hopes this isn't the last instalment. He's often hilarious and I enjoy his momments of homespun wisdom, which are optimistic. His outlook is bittersweet and funny and I feel he’s been with me for In one of his books, I think the sportswriter, which I read 25 years, there's a line about 'There's no such thing as a false sense of wellbeing' and it's always stuck with me. Richard Ford's prose is pitch perfect. I think I need to start the Frank Bascombe series again, and look forward to it, as there's something to learn from them each time, at every stage in your life.

Book review - Let me be Frank with with you

240 pages,

November 4, 2014 by Ecco

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