Booksellers
love this book—for good reason. You will, too. That’s assuming that you love
books and revere independent bookstores.
The Storied Life of AJ Fikry is set on an island (think:Nantucket or
Martha’s Vinyard), where the sole independent bookstore is struggling. Maybe
it’s because so many indys are struggling in our Amazon era. Or maybe it’s
struggling because its owner, AJ Fikry, is often indifferent to customers and
often drunk or hung over. A recent personal tragedy accounts for both. But
Fikry is, in any case, by nature, cantankerous. He doesn’t take kindly to fools
or customers who come looking for mass-market potboilers. And don’t get him
started on e-readers or Amazon.
However,
the arrival of an abandoned toddler begins to thaw this man’s frozen emotions.
A note stuck in the baby’s basket says: "I want her to grow
up to be a reader. I want her to grow up in a place with books and among people
who care about those kinds of things."
Improbably,
Fikry becomes a caring, if inexpert, parent, whose sense of responsibility for
his daughter pushes him toward a more enthusiastic and successful role as
bookseller to the island. No sentimental, goopy stuff here, though: Fikry
remains mildly cranky. And, just as he begins to admit optimism, new obstacles
rattle his happiness.
Musings
on favorite books—in the style of the typical “staff notes”—preface each
chapter. Each is intriguing in its own right, although the composite meaning of
these notes isn’t revealed until the book’s end.
The
author Gabrielle Zevin is better known for her young adult novels and
screenwriting. This novel feels like a breakthrough for her, and the response
in the industry and from reviewers has been uniformly enthusiastic. The Storied Life of AJ Fikry is a modest
tale and wholly engaging. Especially if you love books. (And you wouldn’t be
reading this blog if you didn’t!)
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