The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin288 pages
Published December 2014 by Algonquin Books
Publisher’s Summary:
A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over—and see everything anew.
My Thoughts:
How long has this one been on my TBR? I’m going to guess 10 years; I can clearly remember being on Goodreads when this one became the big buzz, so I added it to my TBR, bought it for my Nook, and then forgot about it. Until a book club friend brought it up a month or so ago and then another said there had been a movie adaptation. So, I read it…and then I watched the movie.
A.J. Fikry is a man without friends, a man who owns a bookstore that is gradually failing, a man who is so deep in his grief over the loss of his wife that he has decided to drink himself to death. He is so morose that when a young publishing rep comes to pitch him the winter list, he all but throws her out of the building.
Sometime later, a young woman comes into the store. His brief moment of kindness to her causes her to make a decision that will change A.J.’s life. The next day A.J. finds a toddler in his store when he returns from a run, with a note to “the bookseller” leaving the child to him. As cantankerous as A.J. can be, he can’t find it in himself to turn the child over to Child Protective Services and the law is, unbelievably, on his side. Maya changes A.J.’s life, as children will do. As the community rallies to help A.J. with Maya, friendships develop. And four years after he first met that publisher’s rep, A.J. finds love. All is well; this will be a happily-ever-after story. Except it’s not. It’s bittersweet.
Is it a little dramatic and sentimental at times? Yes. I didn’t care because it is also humorous and heartwarming and had just the right amount of drama and sentimentality for me. I loved these characters, and I loved the way they grew over the years and found love and friendship. In fewer than 300 pages, Zevin made me feel so many things.
If you’ve ever read George Eliot’s Silas Marner, much of this book will feel very familiar, from a child that lands on the doorstep of a cranky man to the disappear and reappearance of a prize. Yes, that prized possession reappears – if you know about Chekov’s gun, you won’t be surprised when that happens much later in the book. I thought the story about where it was and how it reappears was wonderful.
This is a lovely little book which I highly recommend if you’re in the mood for something lovely.
As a side note, Zevin also wrote the screenplay for the movie so it’s one of the most faithful adaptations of a book I’ve ever watched, giving me exactly what I wanted, especially watching is so closely after finishing the book.
And as a final side note, I just realized that this Gabrielle Zevin is the same author who wrote Young Jane Young and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. Now I really want to read those books!
