3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Can I Be Frank
By Rob Wyatt
Can I Be Frank is a humorous novel following the adventures of Father Francis Gold as he takes his first parish assignment in America. Coming from Britain, American culture catches Father Frank quite by surprise. With the help of his boss, Father Willliam, local Mopar and Budweiser lover, Frank manages to make an enemy of the town's 'owner' Gene Charmois. His wife, Carly Charmois, however, takes a bit too much of an interest in the young priest, adding to an increasingly uncomfortable situation.
Father Frank finds himself on more of an adventure than he ever expected, battling Florida 'firey ants', powerful American muscle cars, alien abduction, vicious rumors, and the mother of all hangovers. Aided by the power of prayer and Martha, the prim Parish Administrator, he sets out to take on the town bully, Charmois.
Rob Wyatt is a great writer. His characters are well written and loads of fun. Father Frank is a wonderful bit of work, all clumsy innocence and goodwill. The English to English language barrier is a constant source of humor. The chicken salad and chips lunch order scene was just too funny.
The story, even touching on serious matters, is always lighthearted. I enjoyed the book quite a bit. It made me laugh many times. I especially loved the Father's first driving fiasco, his first battle with the dreaded pizza, and his alien encounter. The Bible quotes at the beginning of each chapter are priceless. I can imagine the author reading his scriptures and saying 'AH HA! That'll fit perfect!'
The book is full of witty dialogue and a moderate dose of innuendo. It reminded me strongly of television Brit-coms and was every bit as enjoyable. I feel this novel could translate quite well to the stage or screen. I was pleasantly surprised when Charmois unleashed his vicious rumor. The novel having been set in the mid 90's, I was expecting something harsh, but again the author showed his talent at keeping the story fun.
I give Can I Be Frank a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. It is a fun read, but I wish it had been longer. It wrapped up short of what I thought would be a major part of the story. I would recommend this book to any fan of comedy. Its religious theme is no barrier to humor and I doubt that it would be offensive to most readers. It has more of a feel of 'laughing with' rather than 'laughing at'. A big thumbs up to the editing, this is the first book I've reviewed that I have found zero errors. The English spelling of certain words threw me at first, but those spellings are consistent throughout the book.
******
Can I Be Frank?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like thaservices1's review? Post a comment saying so!
