Frankie

By: J. M. Gutsch, Maxim Leo, Sharon Howe - translator

Narrated by: Matthew Biddulph

Brought to you by Penguin.

PERFECT FOR FANS OF MATT HAIG, FREDRIK BACKMAN & TOSHIKAZU KAWAGUCHI

Meet Frankie the cat. He’s a stray who belongs to no one, and that’s just how he likes it.

Until one day, everything changes. He crosses paths with Richard.

Richard isn’t doing so well. Grieving the loss of his partner, he’s turned his back on hope and is ready to end it all. But his plans are halted when Frankie the cat is injured on his doorstep.

Frankie needs help. But then, so does Richard. What Richard doesn’t know is that Frankie is no ordinary cat.

It’s an unlikely partnership. But it might be exactly what they both need . . .

Sometimes in our darkest hour, a pet companion is just what the doctor ordered. Narrated by Frankie the cat, discover this heart-warming and laugh-out-loud tale of hope, unlikely friendship, and the redemptive power of having someone that needs you.

© Jochen Gutsch and Maxim Leo 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critic reviews

A sometimes scurrilous, thoroughly smart and somewhat eccentric book

This novel is an almost perfect balancing-act of joie de vivre and death wish, light-heartedness and heartbreaking sorrow

A droll, enchanting and moving story about an unusual friendship, and finding your way back to life

Amidst gruff dialogue, philosophical anecdotes and situational comedy, a close friendship blossoms between man and beast. A melancholic but nevertheless entertaining story

A light-pawed novel for when the world isn’t as it should be