The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife: A Novel

Anna Johnston’s The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife (2024) is a work of contemporary fiction and a story of mistaken identity that explores the importance of connection between people of all ages. Elderly widower Fred Fife has just been evicted from his home when he encounters the deceased body of Bernard Greer—a man who looks just like him—at a local park. In a comedy of errors, Fred is presumed to be Bernard and is taken off to the nursing home where Bernard resided. There, Fred sets out to make a positive impact on others while masquerading as Bernard.

Johnston, an Australian author, formerly worked in the medical field. The book came about through work Johnston did as a coordinator in the nursing home where her grandfather, for whom the novel’s protagonist is named, resided. The novel, Johnston’s debut, has received many positive reviews, including a starred review from Booklist, and explores themes of The Importance of Familial Bonds, The Ethics of Deception, and Obtaining Meaning in Later Life.

This guide refers to the 2024 hardcover by Harper Collins.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of pregnancy loss, illness, death, addiction, sexual content, sexual harassment, child death, mental illness, emotional abuse, physical abuse, child abuse, and substance use.

Plot Summary

Eighty-two-year-old Fred Fife, freshly evicted from his home, wanders a local park where the residents of a nursing home have been brought for an outing. When he spots a man sitting away from the group in a wheelchair, Fred approaches him only to discover that the man is dead. Fred hurriedly wheels the man toward the group, tossing his own coat and wallet on the man’s lap. However, when Fred stumbles, the man is thrown out of the chair into the nearby river. As the man’s body floats away, a nursing home caretaker shouts at Fred for getting out of the wheelchair. Mistaking Fred for the deceased man, she places Fred in the wheelchair and shuttles him off to the nursing home.

Fred protests and tries to explain the mistake, but because the man, Bernard Greer, had dementia, his complaints are written off as delusions. Fred attempts to escape, but given that he has nowhere to go, no money to support himself, and no other plan, the warmth of the facility and its tasty food soon beckon him to stay. He quickly befriends the new nurse, Kevin, and a caretaker named Linh, as well as another dementia patient named Albert. Albert believes “Bernard” is actually his late brother, also named Fred. Happy to be called by his real name, Fred plays along, pretending to be Albert’s brother. He enjoys the company of Albert’s wife, Valerie, who visits daily.

Fred is haunted, however, by memories of the pregnancy loss his wife, Dawn, experienced decades earlier. The child they never had continues to sadden Fred, his grief compounded by Dawn’s later death from cancer.

In a parallel narrative, two young sisters named Hannah and Sadie play together, enjoying one another’s company and sharing a deep friendship. When Sadie’s frequent nosebleeds are discovered to be caused by leukemia, Hannah’s world changes. She longs for the attention and affection of her parents, who are worried about and distracted by her sister’s illness. Her father is especially cold and distant, as well as rarely home. The narrative alternates between the points of view of Fred, Hannah, and Denise—a caretaker at the nursing home, who, in her anxiety over her daughter’s illness, is implied to be Hannah’s mother.

Fred continues to live at the nursing home without a problem until he stumbles upon a newspaper headline: Bernard’s body has been discovered. However, because Fred’s wallet was on Bernard’s lap when he was flung into the river, Bernard is presumed to be Frederick Fife. Meanwhile, Denise grows suspicious of “Bernard’s” improved memory. She uses alcohol in an attempt to cope with the stress at home, as she is now certain that her husband is having an affair.

One day Fred discovers a letter among Bernard’s possessions. Returned unread, it is a letter to Bernard’s daughter, named Hannah. From it, Fred gleans that they are estranged, but he worries that she could reveal his true identity. Indeed, Hannah visits not long after to inform her father that she is pregnant. She harbors anger and resentment at Bernard for leaving her and her mother after the death of her sister. It is at this point that it becomes clear that Bernard’s daughter is the Hannah of the second plot line (and therefore that Denise is not her mother). Hannah resists any type of relationship with “Bernard” but admits to herself that he seems to have grown warmer and kinder.

Fred continues to live at the nursing home, enjoying the company of his new friends and wondering how he might get Hannah to understand that her father truly felt remorse for the way he neglected her during her childhood. He discovers that Bernard had a debit card with funds available, though Fred does not know the total amount. Though he feels guilty spending Bernard’s money, Fred is relieved that he no longer has to worry about his own basic needs. Albert dies one night, and Fred realizes that he is genuinely saddened by the loss of this true friend.

In another effort to reach out to Hannah, Fred knits a pair of booties for her baby. Hannah returns them, not convinced that her father has truly changed for the better. Nevertheless, she decides to read the letter he attempted to send her years previously; in it, Bernard speaks of his regret for abandoning Hannah, explaining the gambling addiction that ruled his life and that he has since recovered from. She decides to give “Bernard” another chance, and she and Fred swiftly become close, enjoying coffee at the nursing home café and playing chess. The time spent with Fred provides Hannah with a respite from her daily life, in which she struggles to make ends meet and worries that her poor financial situation will become more dire once the baby arrives.

One day, Denise stumbles on a news clip about the death of Frederick Fife. Remembering the outing at the park close to “Fred’s” place of death, she sets out to investigate and eventually becomes certain that “Bernard” is in truth Frederick Fife. Shortly after, she learns of her husband’s infidelity, and her drinking spirals out of control. She reveals to Fred what she has learned about him but commits to keeping his secret; Fred, in turn, encourages Denise to seek help for her addiction, and Denise takes a leave of absence from her job.

As Fred spends more time with Hannah, he becomes aware of her financial struggles. He then discovers that Bernard set aside a gambling windfall that would be life-changing for Hannah. Fred, under the guise of Bernard, meets with Bernard’s lawyer, hoping to release the funds to Hannah. However, he learns that Bernard had placed legal strictures on the funds to prevent himself from accessing the money. Fred knows that in order for Hannah to receive the money, Bernard must once again “die.”

Fred therefore reveals his true identity and is taken to the police station for questioning. Denise is also questioned but insists that Fred meant no harm in his deception; as a result, no legal charges are pressed, and Fred is released. As he has no place to go, police make arrangements for him to stay in a shelter. Hannah is angry upon learning the truth and unsure whether she can forgive Fred, but when Fred appears at Bernard’s funeral, she reconciles with him. Now financially secure thanks to Bernard’s funds, Hannah invites Fred to move in with her and her baby daughter.