Frank and Red by Matt Coyne

When I read 'heart-warming' I think cute and am sometimes put off, but this is not a cute book. It's bloody brilliant and so funny. Proper dry, observational humour that I love and rich characters that walk off the page. It was a delight from start to finish. A perfect spring read.

From the back

Frank and Red are a mess.

Frank is a grumpy old curmudgeon. A recluse whose only company is the 'ghost' of his dead wife, Marcie. He is estranged from his friends, his son, and the ever-changing world beyond his front gate.

And then Red moves in next door.

Red is six. A boy struggling to adjust to the separation of his mum and dad, a new school, and the demonic school bully. Red is curious, smart, he never stops talking, and he's got a trampoline.

From the moment Red's blonde mop appears over the top of the fence that divides their two gardens, the unlikeliest of friendships is born.

. . . And it is a friendship that will change both of their lives forever.