Frankie (Hardback)

Frankie Howe has lived a long life and her small London flat is crammed full of art, furniture and memories. Damian, her young carer, listens as she gradually tells him parts of her story - a story that takes us into a progressive, daring world of New York artists on the brink of fame, aspiring writers and larger-than-life characters.

Always just on the periphery, looking on, young Frankie is never quite sure enough of herself to take centre stage. But the outsider holds certain advantages, sees things others don't, can influence without drawing attention. And when the map has been lost, it's anyone's guess where you may end up, or the accidental choices you find you have made. Frankie discovers that life is not always the one we hope for, or the one others expect of us.

Taking us from Ireland in the 1940s, to the dazzling art scene of 1960s New York by way of London, Frankie is an immersive, decade-sweeping story that brims with Graham Norton's trademark heart, intelligence and compellingly written characters.