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The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (2014)

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The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (2014)

“A place is not really a place without a bookstore.”


Laura’s Rating: 4/5 Stars


Plot: Widower A.J. Fikry runs a failing bookstore and has recently had a valuable manuscript stolen from his shop. He’s feeling down and isolated, until a surprising package arrives at the bookstore that changes his life.


Analysis: The character of A.J. reminded me a lot of Ove in A Man Called Ove, closed off from others and a bit curmudgeonly. 


This book was charming and well written, with interesting characters and an ongoing exploration of isolation vs. connection. The story sometimes verges on being meta, with characters referencing narrative structure and plot. This fits in with references the characters would likely make, but also functions as commentary on the book itself, which was interesting.


I didn’t think that the portrayal of every character in this book was necessarily realistic, but each one served their purpose. My other criticism is that at times the themes were a bit heavy handed. The concepts would have still been present without such obvious illustrations. One theme in the novel that I did enjoy is the idea that some books are more impactful at different times in your life.


Books and the bookstore play a central role in the story, with chapters even named after other novels and writings. There were also lots of great quotes about books and reading, including a personal favorite that resonated with me: “I like talking about books with people who like talking about books.”


The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is a heartwarming and heartbreaking story about books and the importance of human connection. 

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