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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 in this warm, life-affirming debut novel. 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 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. But when unexpected truths are revealed, Fred and Denise both 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.
About the author
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 Frederick Fife, was born. Anna has enjoyed a lifelong passion for positive ageing, creative writing, theatre, screenplay, and all things Australiana.
Summary
“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 in this warm, life-affirming debut novel.
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 betray her again.
As Fred walks in Bernard’s shoes and learns about his past, Denise uncovers clues that threaten to reveal his identity. Will she expose the truth before Fred can 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 forgiveness, redemption, second chances and finding family.
