Here I Am!

Six-year-old Frankie Walters wants to “go to France, find a police station, ring MyDad.” He’s just discovered that his mother has died, but no one believes him, and his father is out of the country on business. So Frankie stows away on a ship leaving England, failing to realize that it’s bound for New York. While most of the first-person narration lies with Frankie, we also hear from his “gran,” his father, and others who play major roles in the unfolding story. Frankie can read, has total recall, is somewhat of a math wizard, and exhibits some of the behavioral and emotional problems associated with those on the autism spectrum. If there is any weakness in this novel, it lies with Frankie’s believability. Could a six-year-old, no matter how intelligent, really navigate the world in such a sophisticated and clever manner? Giller and Commonwealth Writers’ short-listed Holdstock (The Hunter and the Wild Girl) makes an admirable attempt to render her child narrator convincingly.