In Their Golden Age

Every few years, a new trend sweeps the publishing industry when a highly successful book spawns a new sub-genre. After Twilight by Stephenie Meyer was a smashing success, a plethora of vampire titles published. Following the popularity of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, dystopian novels, particularly for young adults, were all the rage. In 2020, The Thursday Murder Club, a novel by Richard Osman about four septuagenarians who solve crimes, took the world by storm, and a screen adaptation is now on its way. Now, older protagonists are having their day, so I am highlighting some of the entertaining titles in this sub-genre.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston (fiction) – Eighty-two-year-old Frederick Fife is on the brink of homelessness due to medical debt incurred from his wife’s cancer treatments. While contemplating his next steps, he encounters a deceased man in a wheelchair who he attempts to assist, but instead Frederick stumbles, causing the man and Frederick’s wallet to wash away in the river. Bernard Greer, the deceased man, was suffering from dementia, and so despite Frederick’s objections, the group whisks him back to the nursing home, thinking he is Bernard. The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife hits all the right notes: It is funny, hopeful, poignant, touching, and engaging. 

OF A CERTAIN AGE If you enjoy books with older protagonists that are humorous and heartwarming, Cindy Burnett recommends How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley and The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley. (Photo: Cindy Burnett)

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley (fiction) – Clare Pooley has perfected the art of writing feel-good books with depth and lots of humor. Lydia’s new job as the director of the Senior Citizens’ Social Club is not what she expects it to be. She plans card games and puzzles for the members, but this group of seniors wants to do exciting activities like skydiving. When the city council proposes selling the local community center where the group meets, the Social Club and the parents of the daycare housed in the center join forces to fight back. Pooley crafts a tale filled with engaging characters (many of them older), each with their own unique backstory, who come together to accomplish a goal while all sorts of hilarity ensues. 

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (mystery) – This delightful and thought-provoking mystery stars four women, Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie, who have been employed by the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for four decades. When the Museum sends them on a fabulous vacation to celebrate their retirement, the women quickly determine that their trip is a ruse because they are being targeted by someone within the Museum. Through experience and working together, they prove that their age and gender are positives versus negatives. Combining humor, reflections on what it means to age, and a clever mystery, Killers of a Certain Age is a must-read for mystery lovers. A sequel arrives this spring.

OF A CERTAIN AGE If you enjoy books with older protagonists that are humorous and heartwarming, Cindy Burnett recommends How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley and The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley. (Photo: Cindy Burnett)

The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley (fiction) – This not-to-be-missed gem stars 21-year-old college dropout Tanner Quimby and 84-year-old Louise Wilt who are thrown together when Louise’s family decides she needs a live-in caregiver and Tanner’s family decides she needs to quit feeling sorry for herself. One evening, Louise wakes Tanner up and insists that they leave immediately (in a car Tanner didn’t even know existed) and head across the country. This book is delightful from page one, and I wish I could take a road trip with Tanner and Louise.

The One-in a Million Boy by Monica Wood (fiction) – Before the book begins, Ona Vitkus, a 104-year old woman, and an eccentric 11-year old boy (whose name the reader never learns) have become friends while the boy helps out weekly around Ona’s house as part of a Boy Scout project to earn a badge. As the story opens, the reader quickly learns that the boy has died. His father Quinn, who was rarely around and is now feeling guilty for his poor job as a father, has agreed to complete the remaining seven weeks that the boy had with Ona to earn his badge and the two bond as they mourn the boy’s death. Monica Wood vividly portrays what it is like to live 104 years and everything that comes with living that long. While this sounds very sad (and it is at times), it is also a beautifully crafted and touching book.

The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old by Hendrik Groen (fiction) – Groen hilariously and poignantly chronicles daily life as an 83-year-old. When he begins writing in his diary, he has two people he counts as friends, Evert who lives in the apartment section of the home and Anja, the assistant to the administrator of the nursing home. The diary provides Groen an outlet for his frustrations about growing old and spurs him to make something of the life he has left. By the time the year is over, he has an entire group of friends, the Old-But-Not-Yet-Dead Club, loyal and kind individuals who work to help each other. While Groen tells many funny tales, he also addresses some very important and pressing issues in today’s society, including funding and care for the aged, Alzheimer’s, and euthanasia.

Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy (fiction) – Over the course of two weeks in a small English town, a reclusive elderly widow discovers an unexpected reason to live when she encounters and then adopts a little mouse. This tiny creature inadvertently requires Helen to speak to other people, to share her existence with another living creature, in fact several. Despite herself, she comes to care for this little intruder in her home. Along the way, she makes friends, which opens up her world and her views on life. Sipsworth is a reminder that there can be second chances.

The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen (mystery) – Purity, a small seaside village in Maine, is home to a group of retired CIA agents including Maggie Bird, who has been enjoying a quiet life with her chickens following a long career that ended with a mission gone wrong. She, as well as several other former agents, are thrust back into an old operation when a dead body turns up on Maggie’s driveway. The maturity of the well-developed characters as well as the spy aspects of the tale combine to make The Spy Coast a standout. A sequel comes out this spring.

The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman (mystery) – Four septuagenarians – a former spy, a retired nurse, a still-practicing psychologist, and a former trades-union official – living in a retirement community in Kent meet in the puzzle room on Thursdays to discuss unsolved cases. When a murder happens near their community, they find themselves with a real case to tackle, and they set out to solve it themselves. There are now four books in the series with more to come eventually. 

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto (mystery) – Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a laugh-out-loud mystery set in San Francisco’s Chinatown. When 60-year-old Vera Wong finds a dead body in her tea shop, she calls the police, but not until after taking a flash drive from the dead man’s hand and hiding it. Frustrated with the police’s investigative work, she decides to do a little detective work herself. Corralling the four individuals who stop by the shop following the body’s discovery, Vera works to crack the case while inadvertently making new friends with the people she is sure are suspects. Filled with humor and hijinks, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a delight from beginning to end. A sequel to Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers publishes in early April.

Editor’s note: Book reviewer Cindy Burnett also writes our weekly Page Turners column. She hosts an award-winning book podcast entitled Thoughts from a Page Podcast www.thoughtsfromapage.com, runs the Instagram account @thoughtsfrompage, and regularly speaks to groups about books.