"Johnston gifts readers a story brimming with every kind of love—everlasting in marriage, buried in broken relationships, treasured among new friends.... This touching narrative explores themes of community, family, and the redemptive power of new beginnings, illustrating the impact of past choices and the potential for personal transformation.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Johnston’s first novel is a heartwarming story about growing old, grief, and learning to navigate life’s many challenges….This book is the perfect summer read for those looking for a funny, heartfelt story about found family and seeing the silver lining in life. Fans of Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove and Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures will especially enjoy this new novel.” — Library Journal

“A sweet story of mistaken identity and second chances…. Johnston places the painful realities of grief and aging alongside Fred’s puckish antics and lands a convincingly hopeful ending. The result is a triumphant last act story.” — Publishers Weekly

“Warm, witty and heartfelt, Frederik Fife is a loveable character you’ll want to cheer on from your armchair. This is a sweet, touching life-swap adventure you won’t want to miss.” — Phaedra Patrick, bestselling author of The Messy Lives of Book people

“Anna Johnston has created a wonderfully diverse cast of funny, flawed, and completely relatable characters, and she tells their stories with humor, honesty, and compassion. Fred is one of life’s unsung heroes—a loveable rogue with a big heart for whom kindness towards others comes as naturally as breathing—and I was rooting for him from the start. It was an absolute joy to follow him on his poignant, hilarious and at times precarious journey to find the happy ending that he so richly deserved. What a glorious story, I absolutely loved it!” — Ruth Hogan, bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things

“I was completely swept away by Anna Johnston’s charming and clever debut. Frederick Fife is an easy character to root for, someone warm and a touch mischievous, who can’t help but improve the lives of those around him. A life-affirming and hilarious tale of mistaken identity, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife insists that it’s never too late for a second chance.” — Amy Meyerson, bestselling author of The Bookshop of Yesterdays

“Anna Johnson's funny and moving debut had me hooked from the first page. Fred is truly someone to root for, and with a cast of quirky characters at his side, this is the warm hug of a novel we all need in our lives.” — Richard Roper, author of Something to Live For

Anna Johnston is a former baby, aspiring octogenarian and emerging Australian author with a love for the heartfelt and hilarious. She lives in Melbourne where she lives joyously with her husband and daughters by the beach. Anna left an imminent career in medicine to follow her heart into her grandfather’s nursing home where she became the activities coordinator, taking great delight in shaking up the usual program. Anna also developed an award-winning local government program teaching older widowed men how to cook. When injury left her unable to continue working in aged care, she began to write about it, channeling her love for older people onto the page. During the pandemic, Anna completed several novel writing courses with the Australian Writers’ Centre, where her debut novel, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, was born. Anna has enjoyed a lifelong passion for positive ageing, creative writing, theatre, screenplay, and all things Australiana.