'Be Mine' by Richard Ford is the fifth and probably final installment in the Bascombe series. This time we meet Frank as the caregiver to his son Paul, who he decides to take on a road trip to Mount Rushmore, in a poignant and funny novel.

Frank Bascombe

My first Richard Ford book was also the first Frank Bascombe book, 'The Sportswriter' which I picked up back in Belfast, probably around 1993. The title got my attention, even though I had no interest in American sports, but found myself intrigued by this story of a 38-year-old man who was dealing with the loss of a son, a wife, and his career. There was something of the everyman about him, and I found him endearing and engaging, as he tried to make sense of his place in the world. There was a wistfulness to him, he was full of contradictions and overly introspective, but he had this deep vein of optimism running through him. I felt close to Frank, and one of the lines he kept repeating has always stayed with me - 'There is no such thing as a false sense of well-being.'

I met up with Frank again when I read 'Independence Day' a couple of years later in 1998. I was still in Belfast and happy to see Frank again. He is now divorced and removed from his children, who live in another state. He now works as a realtor, and the story takes place over the July the 4th weekend. There's something leisurely and comical in his interactions with people, as he navigates middle age.

I met my old friend Frank in 2007 in 'Lay of the Land', and he's doing well as a realtor on the Jersey Shore, with a complicated love life, a cancer scare, Thanksgiving celebrations, and a bit bewildered by it all. By this time, I'm happy being in Franks's head, and he's funny and full of musings on life, love, and all the stuff in between.

Let me be Frank with you

More recently I read 'Let Me Be Frank with You', four stories set in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. He's now 68, back in Haddam, and navigating a recent bout of cancer. I hoped this wou;dn't be the last Frank book, and gladly it proved not to be.

I always enjoy Franks's interactions with people, including his massage therapist Betty, whom he has fallen for. There's always a bit of hope with Frank - he's always thinking of a happy future for himself. Sometimes people he meets surprise him, and by turn us, with their little acts of kindness and nuggets of homespun wisdom. It's a reminder that runs through all of the books that people are basically good.

Not only is 74 Frank dealing with his own frailty, but his son Paul has ALS, which isn't treatable. The road trip in a dilapidated RV is a nod to an earlier trip the two had (Independence Day?) and it's a chance for them to bond, despite the circumstances. There are plenty of laughs and comic moments here, all underpinned by a realisation that time is running out. Frank is still at times unsure of his son, and can't quite work him out, but the trip is a last opportunity for them to deepen their relationship, which I think they do.

Summary

As usual, Ford's writing is beautiful, sentences with a rhythm and cadence that are all his own. He really is a master. And like previous outings, there's not much in the way of plot but it doesn't matter as it allows a leisurely story to unfold that you can just enjoy. As usual, it's full of droll and pertinent insights about America. It'll get you thinking about grief, longing, and of course about relationships.

Maybe I'll go back and read these books again, as I was always a bit younger than Frank. There's so much quiet wisdom in these books, of a man navigating life, doing his best, sometimes winning, losing, but all the time with a sense of gentle wonder at it all. I presume this is to be the last installment (hope I'm wrong) but if so, it's a poignant and tender ending to a wonderful series of books.

356 Pages

Bloomsbury publishing June 22 2023

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