The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

by Gabrielle Zevin

A.J. Fikry's life is not what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is failing, and his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. He is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island and from Amelia, the Knightley Press sales rep who refuses to be deterred by A.J.'s bad attitude. And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore that gives A.J. the ability to see everything anew. It doesn't take long for the locals to notice the change; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.'s world.

Reviewed by Kait ✨ on

5 of 5 stars

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This book is one of those ones that I loved so much, that it becomes difficult to explain. Honestly, I feel that reading this book without knowing a whole lot about it was part of its charm… so, I’m not going to tell you a whole lot about it. The essential premise is revolves around A.J. Fikry, the owner of a bookstore on a small New England island (and he’s middle-aged, not “old”). Garth Stein wrote that “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry reminds us of what saves us all from a life of loneliness and isolation: our sense of empathy; our ability to love and be loved; our willingness to care and be cared for.” That’s basically the fundamental themes of this book, and Zevin explores them so beautifully. A.J. Fikry is a character who I immediately hated, then began to root for… and by the end of the story, I was brokenhearted to see him suffer. This book is definitely character-driven, and if you love the exploration of people and what makes them tick, you will love this book.

Continue reading my review on my blog, Bookish Comforts.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 20 July, 2014: Finished reading
  • 20 July, 2014: Reviewed