Book Review: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Bookseller A.J. Fikry is a bit of a curmudgeon, and perhaps he has good reason to be so. Since his loving wife passed away, sales in his bookstore are falling and life isn't so sweet anymore. One night, while he's passed out from drinking too much again, someone steals a rare book that was his safety net for the future. He begins to lose hope until he finds a toddler abandoned in his shop one day. This changes everything.

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin is a wonderful story set in an amazing little setting ~ a small bookstore on an island in New England. This is a novel that is written for book lovers, as books play such an important role in A.J.'s life. I loved the way books influence A.J. and all of the other characters throughout the novel, particularly the police-officer Lambiase, the sales-rep Amelia, and little Maya. Each chapter begins with a brief note from A.J. about a book that he loves. I found this aspect endearing.

The relationships are what I loved most about The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. Characters and relationships are extremely important to me when it comes to books, and I found myself drawn to all of Zevin's characters. They were realistic in their thoughts, actions and words. Each character had an impact on the others, even the random townspeople who walked into the bookstore. I found myself wishing I could be there in Island Books, talking books with them too!

If you're a bibliophile, you need to read The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. If you don't consider yourself as such, I still highly recommend this novel. It is a heartwarming work of contemporary fiction with characters you will likely grow to love.

My Rating: 5/5

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This review was written based on a copy of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry that I borrowed from the library. This post includes Amazon Affiliates links.