William Morrow & Company
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife
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"A funny, heartfelt story about found family and seeing the silver lining in life. Fans of A Man Called Ove and Remarkably Bright Creatures will especially enjoy this new novel."--Library Journal
A zany case of mistaken identity allows a lonely old man one last chance to be part of a family.
"Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I'll take excellent care of it."
Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he'd return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is, at age eighty-two, there's nobody left in Fred's life to borrow from, and he's broke and on the brink of eviction. But Fred's luck changes when he's mistaken for Bernard Greer, a missing resident at the local nursing home, and takes his place. Now Fred has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head--as long as his look-alike Bernard never turns up.
Denise Simms is stuck breathing the same disappointing air again and again. A middle-aged mom and caregiver at Bernard's facility, her crumbling marriage and daughter's health concerns are suffocating her joy for life. Wounded by her two-faced husband, she vows never to let a man deceive her again.
As Fred walks in Bernard's shoes, he leaves a trail of kindness behind him, fueling Denise's suspicions about his true identity. When unexpected truths are revealed, Fred and Denise rediscover their sense of purpose and learn how to return a broken life to mint condition.
Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a hilarious, feel-good, clever novel about grief, forgiveness, redemption, and finding family.
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Book Details
ISBN:
9780063397293
EAN:
9780063397293
Binding:
Hardcover
Pages:
336
Authors:
Anna Johnston
Publisher:
William Morrow & Company
I’m not sure how to describe this one except to say it left me feeling everything all at once — a punch in the gut and a hug I didn’t know I needed.The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is about Fred, an 81-year-old who quite literally wakes up in another man’s life — Bernard’s, a crotchety, old man with dementia who lives in a nursing home. Fred keeps insisting he’s not Bernard, but no one believes him. There’s a line that hit me hard:“You’d be surprised how people treat you differently when you’re older. You don’t feel any different, but it’s as though you fade away, like a Polaroid picture in reverse.”That’s the moment the story stopped being fiction for me. Because it’s true — people do fade you out when you get older. Fred refuses to fade. He keeps showing up, helping others, stirring things up, doing what he can to make life matter — even if it’s borrowed.This book made me laugh, tear up, and think about my parents inching toward ninety, about what it means to be seen, and what it means to still want to matter. When I closed it, I felt both comforted and a little broken, like the tea cup that belonged to Sadie — like sitting under a blanket watching rain, but also wanting to run outside and splash through it even though its lightening.It’s not a quick read. It’s a moving one.
Lovely story about aging and love. Great character development. Loved the humor and the poignant moments. I was sorry to see it end.
A sweet though quirky story about old age. The thought of living in a nursing home has always frightened me.A little slow developing but glad I stuck with it.
I read this book after a recommendation about its humor. However, I found it sad...not funny reading about a senior thinking of sleeping on a public restroom floor while fearing homelessness or ending up in a nursing home after encountering a resident from that home who has died and being mistaken for that resident. Any way....
I loved this book! Such an interesting concept and lovely ending. I'd read it again, but I gave it away like I always do with books I love.
