Book review: The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Release date: September 1, 2024
Goodreads rating: 4.31
My rating: 5
This post contains affiliate links that earn us a commission at no cost to you. This helps to support the work of The Bookish Bulletin.
"The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife" by Anna Johnston follows Frederick Fife, an octogenarian who finds himself living the life of another person, Bernard, following a very unique twist of fate.
It is such an endearing and emotion-filled read. Frederick is a kind-hearted lead character whose positive and selfless nature reminds us how our outlook and actions can impact those around us. I will genuinely miss Frederick now that the book is done.
I love that the story made me question my own judgments at times—should Frederick continue living as Bernard or should he reveal his secret? I found myself weighing the pros and cons of both choices, often pausing my reading for a few minutes to ponder what I would do in his situation.
While it's a lighthearted and easy read, it doesn't shy away from deeper issues such as the challenges encountered by aging populations and the burden of grief.
While the likelihood of a case of mistaken identity of this magnitude seems somewhat improbable, I was delighted to immerse myself in the world Anna Johnston created and follow this cast of characters along as the situation unfolded.
There is a great mid-book twist that is also worth mentioning… that I will let you discover for yourself!
This is a wonderful debut novel and I look forward to reading future novels by Anna Johnston.
More contemporary fiction you might enjoy: