Summary: 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 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 and a roof over his head — as long as his poker face stays in better shape than his prostate and 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 suspicious 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.
(Summary from book flap – Image from kobo.com)
Mindy’s Review: Frederick Fife didn’t mean for things to get quite so out of hand. When a simple stroll in the park leads to a case of mistaken identity, Fred ends up in a nursing home where not a single soul will believe he isn’t one of the residents — a man named Bernard, who has been diagnosed with dementia. This turn of events is really quite fortuitous, since Fred had been destitute, lonely, and nearing eviction, but as ‘Bernard’ he has hot meals, regular medical care, and promising friendships. The temptation to embrace his new life is strong, but when a woman from Bernard’s past comes to visit, Fred is faced with a crisis of conscience. Should he come clean and face the consequences? Or continue to play a part in order to obtain the life he has always wanted.
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife will warm all the dusty corners of your heart. I started this book on audiobook (a common occurrence right now) while reading another book, but kept feeling pulled to listen to this one in times when I could have been physically reading the other. I loved the characters and their individual arcs, but Frederick is really the star of the show. He’s a thoroughly endearing character whose incredible kindness and unflappably positive outlook reel you right in. Hook, line and sinker. You’re caught.
Here are two quotes that I found particularly relevant, hope-filled, and so very ‘Fred’:
“We’re all human, love, and I’ve yet to meet a person in my eighty-two years who is irredeemable.”
“Asking for help isn’t failing, you know — it’s refusing to fail.”
I appreciated the multiple points of view — there are three — and the surprising connections between them, as well as the perspectives conveyed through elderly and dementia representation. Frederick’s story is based on the author’s own grandparents, which only made it more meaningful in my eyes. In her words, “The plot, setting and characters in the novel are fictional. But the love? That’s entirely real.”
There wasn’t much I didn’t like about The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife. That having been said, there were some aspects of the story that hit a little close to home and hit my heart in very personal ways. This made the story hard to read occasionally, but the experience was worth the effort. It has beautiful characters, a meaningful plot, and moments of humor that outweigh heartbreak. In short, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is perfect for people who want an amusing, uplifting, emotionally complex read.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
For the Sensitive Reader:
Language: Some brief euphemisms/innuendo and profanity sprinkled throughout.
Sexual Content: An elderly, incredibly flirtatious woman sets her sights on Bernard/Frederick, and occasionally tries to persuade him to be intimate. Bernard was a willing participant. Frederick is not.
Violence: No physical violence that I can recall, but there is some verbal abuse and child neglect.
Other: Trigger warnings for loss of child, loss of spouse, miscarriage, dementia/Alzheimer’s, death from cancer
