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A Novel
by Anna Johnston
A warm, life-affirming novel that The Washington Post described as "an uplifting distraction from the negative news cycle."
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 there's nobody left in Fred's life to borrow from. At eighty-two, he's desperately lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness. But Fred's luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of grumpy Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Now he has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head—as long as his poker face is in better shape than his prostate and that his look-alike 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.
What are you reading this week? (8/28/2025)
I just finished The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston for our book club read this month. A sweet, funny, sad, heart tugging tale about an old chap who by outrageous circumstance and good fortune finds hi...
-Connie_K
What are you reading this week? (6/19/025)
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston.
-Holly_K
"Johnston gifts readers a story brimming with every kind of love—everlasting in marriage, buried in broken relationships, treasured among new friends...This touching narrative explores themes of community, family, and the redemptive power of new beginnings, illustrating the impact of past choices and the potential for personal transformation." —Booklist (starred review)
"Johnston's first novel is a heartwarming story about growing old, grief, and learning to navigate life's many challenges….This book is the perfect summer read for those looking for a funny, heartfelt story about found family and seeing the silver lining in life. Fans of Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove and Shelby Van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures will especially enjoy this new novel." —Library Journal
"A sweet story of mistaken identity and second chances…. Johnston places the painful realities of grief and aging alongside Fred's puckish antics and lands a convincingly hopeful ending. The result is a triumphant last act story." —Publishers Weekly
"Warm, witty and heartfelt, Frederik Fife is a loveable character you'll want to cheer on from your armchair. This is a sweet, touching life-swap adventure you won't want to miss." —Phaedra Patrick, bestselling author of The Messy Lives of Book People
"Anna Johnson's funny and moving debut had me hooked from the first page. Fred is truly someone to root for, and with a cast of quirky characters at his side, this is the warm hug of a novel we all need in our lives." —Richard Roper, author of Something to Live For
This information about The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Anna Johnston is a former baby, aspiring octogenarian and emerging Australian author with a love for the heartfelt and hilarious. She lives in Melbourne where she lives joyously with her husband and daughters by the beach. Anna left an imminent career in medicine to follow her heart into her grandfather's nursing home where she became the activities coordinator, taking great delight in shaking up the usual program. Anna also developed an award-winning local government program teaching older widowed men how to cook. When injury left her unable to continue working in aged care, she began to write about it, channeling her love for older people onto the page. During the pandemic, Anna completed several novel writing courses with the Australian Writers' Centre, where her debut novel, The Borrowed Life of Bernard Fife, was born. Anna has enjoyed a lifelong passion for positive ageing, creative writing, theatre, screenplay, and all things Australiana.
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