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The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife
By Anna Johnston
William Morrow, September 2025, 352pp.

The Short of It:

Heartwarming and life affirming.

The Rest of It:

Frederick Fife has lived a good life. At 82 years old and recently widowed, he suddenly finds himself in a difficult situation. He is unable to make rent for the second month in a row, has no real prospects, and is unsure what comes next.

Then, while walking one morning, Frederick spots an older gentleman slumped over in his wheelchair. When he checks on him, he realizes the man has passed away. In the chaos of the moment, Frederick accidentally pushes him down a ravine. Soon after, Bernard Greer’s caregiver arrives, mistakes Frederick for her patient, and wheels him back to the home.

What starts as a misunderstanding quickly becomes a temporary solution to Frederick’s problem. He has a safe place to sleep and three solid meals a day. So he figures, what’s the harm?

What he doesn’t anticipate are the friendships he forms there, or Bernard’s long-lost daughter showing up. As Frederick begins to understand just how complicated this ruse has become, he also sees something he has been missing: a chance to be less lonely.

I really enjoyed this book. Frederick is such a good guy, and although his decisions have the potential to create real pain and heartache for the people around him, his motives are pure. When he sees an opportunity to improve Bernard’s daughter’s life, he chooses to do so, even knowing the heartbreak it may cause.

This was a wonderful story, and Johnston’s take on elderly care and life inside the home felt spot on. Having just gone through something similar with an elderly friend, I found the little details about home care authentic and real.

If you need a break from the world and want a sweet story to carry you through, this is it.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Vacuum in the Dark
By Jen Beagin
Scribner, January 2020, 240pp.

The Short of It:

This book continually snapped in my face to get my attention. It was unhinged and I kind of loved that about it.

The Rest of It:

Mona cleans houses for a living and she’s seen some things. People who defecate and leave little presents all over their homes for her to find. Soiled sheets (use your imagination). A person can tell a lot about you by the sheets you leave behind. Although she prefers to do her work in an empty house, sometimes her clients show interest or provide additional information to an otherwise confusing personal item.

She knows the bedroom habits of her clients. What’s happening, and what’s not. Her quiet, not adverse reaction to chaos draws people in. Enough so, that clients cross line entering her personal space and become something more. Exactly what, she’s not sure.

Everything has happened to Mona. She’s been raped, more than once but didn’t want to make a big deal of it. She’s been used as a muse for art, exposing her naked body for others to gaze upon and define. She’s had relations with married men and well out in the open. Open relationships should be less confusing. Right?

Although Mona seems to have done it all and doesn’t appear to be the worse for it, she’s suffering from a lack of self-worth and a deep yearning for home, whatever that is. Enter Claire, Mona’s mother who shacked up with some weirdo but has suddenly given up drugs and wants Mona to come for a visit.

Everyone in this novel is flawed beyond belief. They do despicable things and yet, you can’t hate them because of the honest way they just lay it all out. It’s like walking through a door and saying this is who I am, deal with it. Mona and many of these character experience life changing scenarios. Ones that initially confuse but eventually provide clarity.

I’ve been vague about the plot because you have to experience Vacuum in the Dark for yourself. It caught me completely off guard but I loved Beagin’s last book Big Swiss so I dived in.

This was a follow-up to another book but it felt like a standalone.

Read it.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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