For readers of Remarkably Bright Creatures and A Man Called Ove, 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. 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.

This was my first time reading anything by this author, and I really enjoyed this funny, heartfelt story about an elderly gentleman caught up in a case of mistaken identity. I listened to the audiobook and was pleasantly surprised to discover it was narrated with an Australian accent since the story takes place in Australia, something I had no idea about before starting it. I absolutely loved hearing the slang and the way everyone spoke, so I highly recommend experiencing this one through audio if you can.

As for the content itself, there’s no spice, but there is a fair amount of profanity, which I personally didn’t care for. There’s also quite a bit of toilet humor. It was funny at first, but after a while, it started to feel repetitive and a little juvenile. I mean, how many fart jokes does one book really need? Eventually, it became a bit tedious and took me out of the story at times.

That said, this was such a sweet, heartfelt, and genuinely hilarious book about an older man who is lonely, longing for connection after his wife died, and simply wants a place where he belongs. Through a case of mistaken identity, Fred ends up switching places with another elderly man in a nursing home, and the shenanigans that follow had me laughing out loud so many times. Some of the situations were absolutely ridiculous, and I honestly found myself wondering how realistic any of it could possibly be. But underneath all the humor was a surprisingly emotional story filled with tender, heartfelt moments. By the end, I was sobbing. Definitely keep tissues nearby for this one because it really pulls at your heartstrings.

I also thought the themes and messages throughout the story were incredibly universal and relatable. I think most readers could find something meaningful in this book. The story moves between past and present timelines and follows three different POVs. Personally, I could have done without Denise’s perspective, the nursing home nurse. I just didn’t feel like her storyline added much overall. However, I absolutely loved following Fred through this wild situation he finds himself in, and I especially loved Hannah’s storyline. She’s the daughter of the man who died and mistakenly believes Fred is her estranged father. Watching that relationship develop into such a touching father-daughter dynamic really hit home for me. There were some very raw, difficult, and emotional moments as the characters confronted grief, trauma, regret, and loss, and it was easy to connect with them because of how human they felt. I especially loved the themes of forgiveness, second chances, found family, grief, loss, and healing.

Fred is honestly one of the most charming characters I’ve ever read, and he now holds such a special place in my heart. I loved the way he interacted with the other elderly residents in the nursing home and how deeply he cared about helping them. He truly had a heart of gold, and everyone around him could feel it. I could absolutely see this being adapted into a movie someday because it has all the ingredients for a wonderfully heartwarming and uplifting film. If you enjoyed A Man Called Ove or Theo of Golden, I think you will really enjoy this story. 

Overall, despite a few things that didn’t fully work for me, I really enjoyed this story and would absolutely recommend it, especially the audiobook!

**This book is part of a contemporary fiction real-time reaction episode, which you can listen to here.