I enjoyed reading The Reading List, and decided I wanted something else that had some serious topics in it, but mixed in with some humour and heartwarming moments. I’ve also been meaning to read some of the books on my TBR featuring older protagonists, as I fully support more books getting published about this oft-forgotten demographic. So it seemed like a good one to try.
This is the story of Frank Derrick. He’s 81 years old, is widowed, and currently lives alone but for a cat named Bill, and he was recently run over by a milk float, which broke his arm. His daughter lives in the US, so isn’t able to come and help him as he’s healing. Instead, she hires a home help service to make sure he’s able to manage. Frank, however, is not excited by this prospect. He isn’t fond of people in general, particularly those who seem to want to interact with him the most – annoying and nosy neighbours, door-to-door salespeople and cold callers. But he is pleasantly surprised, and actually comes to look forward to his weekly visit from Kelly Christmas. She’s bright, unobtrusive and kind. Soon, Frank can’t imagine his life without her – which is a bit of a problem as he’s quickly running out of visits and can’t afford to hire her himself. What follows is Frank’s attempt to find a way to keep Kelly in his life, but also to figure out what else he might be missing out on.
I liked the tone of the book for the most part. It’s light, witty, and has the slightly inappropriate, tongue-in-cheek British style of conversational humour that I find most funny. There were parts that definitely made me snort, even if I didn’t laugh out loud. And I found most of the characters either sympathetic or entertaining. The plot does turn on a type of situational comedy that is familiar from British shows like Fawlty Towers or Mr. Bean. At times it stretches credulity in order to create the moment, or exaggerates situations or characters in order to deliver the joke. Which is fine, but I often find this type of humour tries a bit too hard and makes me feel a bit tired after a while. But I think if you enjoy that kind of humour, this will definitely tickle your funny bone.
The other issue I had with the book was that it drags significantly in the middle. It’s repetitive, a bit of a downer, and had me feeling a sense of futility even as Frank is trying to figure out how to deal with his circumstances. That was a bit hard for me to get through, and I did consider DNFing it a couple of times. In the end it was a quick read, so I made it through, but I could have done with either a bit more happening in that middle portion or a shorter novel.
I definitely don’t think this will be for everyone, but I think it will appeal to fans of the situational comedy style described above, pithy irreverent one-liners, those who are dealing with aging (either their own or of a loved one), and people who really don’t like people all that much. I am glad I gave it a try, and did get some enjoyment out of it. It’s mostly light and amusing. I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the series, but I’m considering it. If I need a book I know will have some funny moments, I very well might give it a try!
Frank Derrick is eighty-one. And he’s just been run over by a milk float. It was tough enough to fill the hours of the day when he was active. But now he’s broken his arm and fractured his foot, it looks set to be a very long few weeks ahead. Frank lives with his cat Bill (which made more sense before Ben died) in the typically British town of Fullwind-on-Sea. The Villages in Bloom competition is the topic of conversation amongst his neighbours but Frank has no interest in that. He watches DVDs, spends his money frivolously at the local charity shop and desperately tries to avoid the cold callers continuously knocking on his door. Emailing his daughter in America on the library computer and visiting his friend Smelly John used to be the highlights of his week. Now he can’t even do that. Then a breath of fresh air comes into his life in the form of Kelly Christmas, home help. With her little blue car and appalling parking, her cheerful resilience and ability to laugh at his jokes, Kelly changes Frank’s life. She reminds him that there is a big wide-world beyond the four walls of his flat and that adventures, however small, come to people of all ages. Frank and Kelly’s story is sad and funny, moving, familiar, uplifting. It is a small and perfect look at a life neither remarkable nor disastrous, but completely extraordinary nonetheless. For fans of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry this is a quirky, life affirming story that has enormous appeal. And it’s guaranteed to make you laugh. – Goodreads
Book Title: The Extra Ordinary Life of Frank Derrick, Aged 81
Author: J.B Morrison
Series: Yes – Frank Derrick #1
Edition: Audiobook
Published By: Pan Books
Released: June 5, 2014
Genre: Fiction, Age, Loneliness, Friendship
Pages: 304
Date Read: July 25-26, 2022
Rating: 6/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.54/5 (1,779 ratings)