The
Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is a story for book lovers. A.
J. Fikry is a young widowed man that owns a book store in a small island in
Massachusetts. He is a crabby, bitter man with little joy remaining in
his life. A. J. is slowly drinking his life away. One day a baby is
left in his book store with a note saying that the mother's last wish is for her
young Maya to grow up to be a reader and to be raised by people who love books.
Maya quickly gives A. J. a new reason to live and soon he is welcoming other
people into his life as well.
The story has many twists and unexpected turns. The characters are all very loveable; with
the exception of one or two. What will
really endear avid readers to The Storied
Life of A. J. Fikry is the many quotes and discussions of various books and
authors. Each chapter begins with a book
review by A. J. The reviews are written
as a letter to his daughter and often reflect, not so much as what the book was
about, but what the books meant to him and what Maya might learn from reading
them herself.
Visitors to the Island Book Store come to
connect. They come because they are
lonely. They come to escape and they
come to feel. Author Neil Gaiman writes “A town isn't a town without a book store. It may call itself a town, but
unless it's got a book store it knows it's not fooling a soul.” This is so true for the residents and visitors of
Alice Island.
The
Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is written by Gabrielle Zevin. She has published seven novels for adults and
young adults.