BOOK REVIEW
TITLE: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
AUTHOR: Gabrielle Zevin
PUBLISHER: Algonquin Books
RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2014
GENRE: Fiction, Women’s Fiction
A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island—from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.
And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; 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; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn’t see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.(Description from Goodreads.com)
MY THOUGHTS
(***Please note that this review may contain spoilers***)
I have so many books on my “to read” list that I hadn’t been able to read this book until a few years ago. I watched the movie and loved it. Then I read the book and cannot recommend it enough. It’s one of my favorites and will always remain on my bookshelf. I purchased it many years ago, (around the time it was released in 2014) while attending a Women’s National Book Association event in California.
I was able to get Gabrielle to sign it as well. She referenced an “Ice Bucket Challenge” and from what I recall the decor of the event included books being placed in ice buckets (without the ice of course) and in 2014 that challenge was really big on social media hence the funny reference. She talked about her book and read a few pages from it. I instantly connected to it and it was really great meeting Gabrielle in person.
Being a book lover I really enjoyed that the storyline focused on a bookstore, the bookstore owner, and an overall love of books. Each chapter begins with a letter from A.J. to his daughter Maya talking about a specific book/short story and what his thoughts are. It will later be revealed in the book that he was putting this list together at the end of his life. It’s something that’s not in the movie.
It also touched on some relatable topics like losing a loved one, cancer, and adoption. I think losing a loved one was the overarching connector between all the characters because many of them lost someone throughout the book. Maya lost her birth mother then A.J.. Ismay lost her sister and husband. Amelia loses A.J. It’s a lot of loss in one book.
In my opinion, the saddest aspect of the book is A.J.’s story. He lost his wife and the book takes place after his wife passes away. He is depressed and has lost his sense of purpose. Then Maya comes along unexpectedly changing his life forever. Taking care of her mends parts of his heart that had broken with the loss of his wife. Maya gave him purpose again.
Towards the end of the book A.J. is diagnosed with cancer. Something so many people can relate to, myself included. What really got me was the ending when A.J. couldn’t speak anymore and we are reading his inner thoughts. He thinks about how the disease has taken away his ability to read and all he can get through are some short stores. He can’t write a lot anymore either. As someone whose life revolved around books and writing I can’t imagine how difficult it is losing those abilities at the end of your life. Zevin really captured that frustration and sadness at the end.
I did enjoy the relationship between A.J. and Amelia. In some ways it reminded me of my own marriage and husband. A.J. is clearly a high maintenance person to be with, but Amelia really compliments him. She’s more laid back and clam. Having both Amelia and Maya in his life somewhat mellows him out. I do feel that Amelia made a lot of sacrifices to be with A.J. including moving and leaving her job, but you can tell she doesn’t regret it. They truly loved each other.
I do like that Zevin included a brief moment after A.J. is gone showing that life still has to go on after we lose someone. Amelia and Maya move out of the town and have to start a new life somewhere else. Then the bookstore is sold to Ismay and Chief Lambiase keeping the town’s beloved store going. Everyone moves on in their own way, but books still remain.
OVERALL RATING
ABOUT GABRIELLE ZEVIN
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GABRIELLE ZEVIN is a New York Times best-selling novelist whose books have been translated into forty languages.
Her tenth novel, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was published by Knopf in July of 2022 and was an instant New York Times Best Seller, a Sunday Times Best Seller, a USA Today Best Seller, a #1 National Indie Best Seller, and a selection of the Tonight Show’s Fallon Book Club. Maureen Corrigan of NPR’s Fresh Air called it, “a big beautifully written novel…that succeeds in being both serious art and immersive entertainment.” Following a twenty-five-bidder auction, the feature film rights to Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow were acquired by Temple Hill and Paramount Studios.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry spent many months on the New York Times Best Seller List, reached #1 on the National Indie Best Seller List, was a USA Today Best Seller, and has been a best seller all around the world. A.J. Fikry was honored with the Southern California Independent Booksellers Award for Fiction, the Japan Booksellers’ Prize, and was long listed for the International Dublin Literary Award, among other honors. To date, the book has sold over five-million copies worldwide. It is now a feature film with a screenplay by Zevin. Young Jane Young won the Southern Book Prize and was one of the Washington Post’s Fifty Notable Works of Fiction.
She is the screenwriter of Conversations with Other Women (Helena Bonham Carter) for which she received an Independent Spirit Award Nomination for Best First Screenplay. She has occasionally written criticism for the New York Times Book Review and NPR’s All Things Considered, and she began her writing career, at age fourteen, as a music critic for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. Zevin is a graduate of Harvard University. She lives in Los Angeles.(Bio and photo found on Goodreads)
Stories Unfolded 