Book Chat: The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

Important Update Regarding Meeting Usage During Library Renovation

During 2026, we will be undergoing a renovation to better serve the people of Dearborn County. 

During Phase 2 of the renovation access to Youth Services, Genealogy and the Innov812 Workshop will only be available via the High Street entrance.You will still be able to use the Ewbank Meeting Room during Phase 2, but our procedures for using the room have been modified:

  • Please enter the library via the High St. entrance. This entrance provides access to the Ewbank Meeting Room, Youth Services, Genealogy, and the Innov812 Workshop only. To access other areas of the library, you must use the Parking Lot entrance.
  • Once inside, please check in with the Youth Services Department so we can give you the clipboard and key to the room.
  • If you need any assistance at any time during your meeting, please call 812-537-2775 Ext. 1125 and a staff member will come to help.
  • When your meeting has finished, please check out with the Youth Services Department where you can return the clipboard and key.

We are excited to share our upgraded spaces with you once renovations are complete. In the meantime, we appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to improve your library.

Program Type:

Book Club

Age Group:

Adults
Please note you are looking at an event that has already happened.
  • Registration is required for this event.
  • Registration is no longer available for this event.

Program Description

***Anyone attending a program in the Ewbank Room during the month of January will need to enter through the doors on High Street due to construction. Thank you for your patience while improvements are made to the library building.

 

Book Chat is a monthly book discussion group. January's book is The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Ana Johnston.

A zany case of mistaken identity allows a lonely old man one last chance to be part of a family.

“Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I’ll take excellent care of it.”

Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he’d return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is, at age eighty-two, there’s nobody left in Fred’s life to borrow from, and he's broke and on the brink of eviction. But Fred’s luck changes when he's mistaken for Bernard Greer, a missing resident at the local nursing home, and takes his place. Now Fred has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head—as long as his look-alike Bernard never turns up. 

Denise Simms is stuck breathing the same disappointing air again and again. A middle-aged mom and caregiver at Bernard's facility, her crumbling marriage and daughter's health concerns are suffocating her joy for life. Wounded by her two-faced husband, she vows never to let a man deceive her again.

As Fred walks in Bernard’s shoes, he leaves a trail of kindness behind him, fueling Denise's suspicions about his true identity. When unexpected truths are revealed, Fred and Denise rediscover their sense of purpose and learn how to return a broken life to mint condition. 

Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a hilarious, feel-good, clever novel about grief, forgiveness, redemption, and finding family.