Description

For readers of Remarkably Bright Creatures and The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, a warm, life-affirming debut about a zany case of mistaken identity that 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. 

Fred’s luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Now he has a roof over his head, three meals a day, and, most importantly, the chance to be part of a family again. All he has to do is hope that his poker face is in better shape than his prostate and that his look-alike never turns up. 

As Fred navigates life in Bernard’s shoes, he learns about the man’s past and what it might take to return a life in better condition than he found it. 

Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a feel-good, clever novel about grief, forgiveness, redemption, and finding family, from an exciting new voice in fiction.

About the Author

Anna Johnston lives in Melbourne with her husband and daughters. The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is her first novel.

Praise For…

“Anna Johnston has created a wonderfully diverse cast of funny, flawed, and completely relatable characters, and she tells their stories with humor, honesty, and compassion. Fred is one of life’s unsung heroes—a loveable rogue with a big heart for whom kindness towards others comes as naturally as breathing—and I was rooting for him from the start. It was an absolute joy to follow him on his poignant, hilarious and at times precarious journey to find the happy ending that he so richly deserved. What a glorious story, I absolutely loved it!” — Ruth Hogan, bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things