Let me set the scene for “The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife.” Frederick Fife is a kind and charming octogenarian who is broke and about to be evicted from his apartment. He spent his life savings on experimental cancer treatments for his wife, Dawn. He is not sure were his next meal will come from.
While sitting in the public park in his neighborhood, he sees what looks like a man slumped over in his wheelchair. Frederick hurries over to check on him. He is not sure if he is still alive. He starts pushing the chair toward a senior citizen bus nearby. As Frederick is pushing, he is getting hot and out of breath. He stops, takes off his jacket and drapes it over the wheel chair. As he is pushing the chair, he trips and hits his head on a rock. He is a little bit addled and as he is trying to stand the wheelchair starts rolling toward the river. The chair stops but the unconscious man falls out of the chair and into the river taking Frederick’s jacket and driver’s license with him. Frederick is not quick enough to help him.
He is exhausted and sits in the chair. Denise, a nurse’s aide, comes over to check on him and due to their similar age and appearance, she starts pushing him to the bus while calling him Bernard. Frederick protests that he is not Bernard and that she has the wrong man. But oftentimes the elderly are ignored or considered demented.
Frederick tries several times that evening to explain who he is, but the staff thinks his dementia is worse. When dinner arrives and it is the best meal he has had in months, he thinks it will not hurt to stay one night. The next morning he is given arthritis medication – a huge blessing. He tries to leave, but the staff catch him and take him back. He stops protesting and just goes with it.
As a few days go by he begins to make friends and feel needed. He spreads kindness to the staff, other residents and residents’ families. Frederick begins to mend the wrongs made by Bernard during his life.
There is more to this story, but I will not spoil it for you. This feel-good novel is the perfect summer read. It is heartwarming and funny. I highly recommend it.
The author includes the realities of nursing home life like the invisibility of the elderly, fear, grief, the smell of urine, stressed-out staff, the reality of dementia and the sad and lonely part of aging. Somehow the author can take the cold, hard truth of aging and make it seem less troubling with the power of a simple act of kindness. She manages to create loving and comical world among the elderly.
Find out more about Anna Johnston at www.annajohnstonauthor.com.
