Frederick Fife is 82 and on the edge of homelessness. Since his beloved wife died of cancer, his life has just dissipated to nothing. Using up all their savings for her medical care, Frederick is now being evicted after not being able to meet his rent payments for months. Though they tried, Frederick and his wife were childless so there is no one to borrow from, no one to turn to. When out trying to figure out if he should go to a homeless shelter or where he is to sleep that night, odd circumstances cause a case of mistaken identity that Frederick tries to correct but can't seem to get anyone to listen to him. As he finds himself all of a sudden having a roof over his head complete with meals at a nursing home, it becomes harder and harder to get anyone to listen to him. And as he makes friends with other residents who can't believe the change in him from a grumpy old codger to a kind, caring gentleman, he begins to wonder if he can get away with borrowing the other man's life and can he live with himself doing it. However, one of the nurses is suspicious. But with major problems in her own life she is dealing with, Dennis Simms just doesn't deal with it. Sometimes walking on egg shells trying to sort out his new life, Frederick learns to navigate the landmines blending who he really is with the man they think he is. But always in the back of his mind is the fact that there will be a day of reckoning.
This book, I'm sure, is going to go down as one of my top 10 reads ever. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. It's sweet and heartfelt touching upon every emotion. There were laugh out loud moments and times where I cried. The author actually was a social support worker in a senor home in Australia so the story was very insightful and respectful of what living in a senior home is like and I found myself hilariously thinking who in my Mom's senior home matched up with which character. I loved the characters and their development throughout. It touched on all the things I love in a story: great characters, witty, real emotions, found family, forgiveness, redemption and just a feel good story all around. I quite a few times paused in my reading just to say out loud or to my husband what a good book this was. Kudos to the author for this great debut novel.
3 comments:
This sounds very interesting! I'm wondering about the missing man, but I guess that's resolved in the book somehow.
ooh thanks for the review! I'll have to see if my library system has this. I've never heard of it!
Definitely sounds like one to look out for. Thank you.
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