When Lemons Give You Life

In her debut novel, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, Anna Johnston introduces us to a man who, through a series of highly coincidental events, finds himself living in a nursing home, assumed to be a different resident. As I wrote at the time, "What follows is a saccharinely sweet and sappy series of events, where Fred befriends fellow residents, engineers romance between nursing home staff, and even works to repair Bernard's relationship with his estranged daughter. Fred is kind and caring, charming and considerate, and he becomes a magnet of positivity for both residents and staff at the nursing home." It was a heartwarming book, but it was also one that relied on too many conveniences.

In When Lemons Give You Life, Johnston revisits many similar themes. Once again, the setting is a nursing home. This time, our primary character is Griff Barlow, a former Michelin-starred chef who is now suffering from dementia. His parents have passed away, and his only remaining relative is his sister, who, despite their strained relationship, still comes to visit Griff every few days.

Except here's the thing: Griff isn't actually demented. He's faking it, but as readers, we're not sure why. We know that there was a food poisoning incident at his restaurant that left "ten customers hospitalized and one man dead." Is he trying to avoid punishment? He can't admit he's healthy, even to his own sister. "Telling Lisa the truth would mean coming clean to the public too—handing the world a reason to judge me all over again." We're left to see Griff plan his final days, refer to his "Death Menu" of different ways he could kill himself, and eventually settle on a food-related plan on New Year's Eve. "If we can't go out with a bang, my tastebuds and I will go out with a tang." (corny phrasing like this is a hallmark of Johnston's style)

But then something happens. Several coincidences cause Griff to postpone his plan, and before long he's starting to reclaim his love of living, as well as his love of food. And like Frederick Fife, he begins to bring joy to his fellow residents at the nursing home.

As you can see, there are more than a few similarities between Frederick Fife and When Lemons Give You Life. However, Lemons is a distinctly better book. While coincidences that propel the plot in an overly convenient way still exist, they are less extreme than what we saw in Frederick Fife. The most significant is something Johnston apologizes for at the top of her Author's Note: "First, I'd like to acknowledge that this story is intentionally set in the most negligent nursing home imaginable—an exaggerated outlier created for fiction." And while there is still an abiding sweetness to much of the book, there is a heavier undercurrent here. Griff had a challenging childhood, and that trauma is played out in gradual reveals throughout the novel.

Lastly, I thought this was one of the better queer love stories that I've come across. TJ Klune has cornered that market for the last few years, but Johnston's treatment of Griff's relationship with his husband, Beau, is the heart of the book. There's family drama, old and new relationships, and a rewarding arc for our main character. Anyone who enjoyed The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife will certainly enjoy this one as well, and I think you'll find yourself pleasantly rewarded by Johnston's growth as a writer.