The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston

THE BORROWED LIFE OF FREDERICK FIFE by Anna Johnston requires an ability to believe in coincidences, but this clever debut provides an entertaining read even if the premise is a bit far-fetched. Eighty-two-year-old Frederik Fife is widowed and destitute when he walks by the river one day and is mistakenly assumed to be Bernard Greer, a nursing home resident. His adventures in another life including befriending the residents like Albie (who has dementia and thereby ironically sees Fred/Bernard as his own long dead and much-loved brother named Fred), extroverted Patricia, or gentle Ruby and staff members like nurse Kevin, activities coordinator Linh, or troubled caregiver Denise. Through his natural display of kindness, Fred ends up having a positive impact on many of the other characters. The story is quite humorous in places although Johnston probably over-relies on similes (“yet the moment had been bittersweet, like tasting a Tim Tam for the first time only to be told you can never have another”); plus, she struggles to make the reactions of Hannah, Bernard’s daughter, seem realistic. Like Catherine Newman, Johnston describes grief as “love with nowhere to go” and many parts of this text are quite poignant (“he let the memories sneak out of his tear ducts and roll down his cheeks”). THE BORROWED LIFE OF FREDERICK FIFE was a LibraryReads selection for September 2024 and received a starred review from Booklist (“This touching narrative explores themes of community, family, and the redemptive power of new beginnings”).