Review by Timothylcarson -- Can I Be Frank? by Rob Wyatt

[Timothylcarson]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Can I Be Frank?" by Rob Wyatt.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Can I Be Frank by Rob Wyatt is a short work of fiction whose plot features a young English Priest who receives an appointment in Florida, USA. The story includes some of the contrasts between English and American culture, the challenges that vocation presents to a freshly minted clergyman, the virtuous and sorted characters encountered by Father Frank, and mild darling with erotic temptations and mild seductions that never come to fruition.

I give this book 2 out of 4 stars.

Every good story needs a steamy seductress and smarmy villain, and this is no exception. The seduction is replete with breathy whispers and conspicuous showing of leg. The villain is one any fair minded person could hate. And the inevitable conflicts are eventually resolved with the bad guy getting his, the poor and downtrodden lifted up, and the church fair going on after all.

Wyatt does a fairly good job humanizing the character of a priest, including some bouts with alcohol and hangovers. But since Frank is English there is lots and lots of tea, the social glue that holds culture together.

One of the limitations of the book is that it is written in the first person, the voice of the narrator being the main character. This limits the observations of the plot and other characters to that of Frank. As a result the text is heavy with dialogue, much of which is externalizing the thinking of the main character. It reads like a stage play. And though one does end up with a sense of “The world according to Frank” the narrative descriptions seem thin.

I am left wondering what audience will find this book interesting. The practicing Catholic? The person who once knew a priest from their childhood and would like to revisit parish life? Other priests? Because the narrative presents rather ordinary parish life in its fairly banal form there is not much drama - other than ordinary church life can present. If you are religious this may feel like an old shoe and you may nod with appreciation. But I wonder. There is no Father Brown here, untangling the crooked web of a dastardly crime. This is not a Who Done It. So what holds our attention? Certainly not the kind of car the priest chooses to drive.

I am having difficulty identifying who might be a motivated readership for this book. And the ending … Just isn’t an ending.

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Can I Be Frank?
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