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A review by reneedecoskey
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
5.0
May or may not have actually hugged this book when I finished it. It was the 24th book I read this year, probably the last full one I'll get in, and DEFINITELY my favorite. I flew through it in 10 days which is very fast for me (I'm a terribly slow reader).
The book tells the story of AJ Fikry, a lonely and somewhat grouchy bookstore owner on the island of Alice -- a place (off the coast of Rhode Island, I believe) that is a high-traffic tourist destination in the summertime. He changes and evolves over time with the things that happen to him, and especially as his relationships and relationship dynamics change -- with himself, local cop Lambiase, his daughter Maya, and with a pretty book rep named Amelia Loman. The story of his life is told through the careful curation of other stories, which is such a cool concept to me. I'm not even doing the description any justice here. Most of the time I found myself grinning or even chuckling while reading. The last chapter, though, hit me right in the solar plexus. There is some very poignant commentary about life and death.
This is a delightful read (I can't think of a more appropriate term), especially if you love books and are a book nerd. The book is set up in chapters which are presented as a list of recommended reading (short stories) from AJ to his daughter, Maya. Each one is recommended for how it touches on a theme of his life and of their life together (I won't spoil what happened to him before Maya, nor the details of their relationship). There are LOTS of literary references, and what I loved was that the author, Gabrielle Zevin, trusts the reader to understand them. In fact, during the book, the characters -- while discussing books -- talk about how the best advice a writer can follow is "show, don't tell." Zevin doesn't tell. She drops the references and if you don't get them, you don't get them. If you do, you enjoy the book that much more. I almost felt like those references made me a part of some secret the book was holding; information that only I was privy to. It made it so much fun to read.
The characters also discuss loose ends versus ambiguity in the books they enjoy, which is something else I loved about this novel. There were no loose ends. There was ambiguity, but it was used in a good way -- a way in which, if you were a smart and careful reader, you would feel like it was not nearly as ambiguous as it seemed.
I loved this book so much. These days, it's difficult for me to find the time to sit still for an hour and read. I sat for 2 hours this morning, never once checking my phone or computer (another rarity) until I finished it. At the same time, I can't remember the last time I was so moved by a book. I'm not sure if I have been since I read The Hour I First Believed in 2009. Earlier this year, I tried to read Tiny Beautiful Things, actually hoping for an emotional reaction, but it never came and I abandoned the book. That was not the case with AJ Fikry. The emotional response was completely unexpected, too. I was weeping throughout the entire final chapter, underlining those previously mentioned poignant lines and passages and wiping tear-splashes off of my glasses. This novel just totally melted me, which is something that rarely happens. I want to share this book with everyone I know who loves books and reading as much as I do and can relate to those things in life that are somewhat unique to readers -- the characteristics we share, etc.
I'll end with what is probably my favorite quote, which I feel sums up the life of a reader quite well: "We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works."
The book tells the story of AJ Fikry, a lonely and somewhat grouchy bookstore owner on the island of Alice -- a place (off the coast of Rhode Island, I believe) that is a high-traffic tourist destination in the summertime. He changes and evolves over time with the things that happen to him, and especially as his relationships and relationship dynamics change -- with himself, local cop Lambiase, his daughter Maya, and with a pretty book rep named Amelia Loman. The story of his life is told through the careful curation of other stories, which is such a cool concept to me. I'm not even doing the description any justice here. Most of the time I found myself grinning or even chuckling while reading. The last chapter, though, hit me right in the solar plexus. There is some very poignant commentary about life and death.
This is a delightful read (I can't think of a more appropriate term), especially if you love books and are a book nerd. The book is set up in chapters which are presented as a list of recommended reading (short stories) from AJ to his daughter, Maya. Each one is recommended for how it touches on a theme of his life and of their life together (I won't spoil what happened to him before Maya, nor the details of their relationship). There are LOTS of literary references, and what I loved was that the author, Gabrielle Zevin, trusts the reader to understand them. In fact, during the book, the characters -- while discussing books -- talk about how the best advice a writer can follow is "show, don't tell." Zevin doesn't tell. She drops the references and if you don't get them, you don't get them. If you do, you enjoy the book that much more. I almost felt like those references made me a part of some secret the book was holding; information that only I was privy to. It made it so much fun to read.
The characters also discuss loose ends versus ambiguity in the books they enjoy, which is something else I loved about this novel. There were no loose ends. There was ambiguity, but it was used in a good way -- a way in which, if you were a smart and careful reader, you would feel like it was not nearly as ambiguous as it seemed.
I loved this book so much. These days, it's difficult for me to find the time to sit still for an hour and read. I sat for 2 hours this morning, never once checking my phone or computer (another rarity) until I finished it. At the same time, I can't remember the last time I was so moved by a book. I'm not sure if I have been since I read The Hour I First Believed in 2009. Earlier this year, I tried to read Tiny Beautiful Things, actually hoping for an emotional reaction, but it never came and I abandoned the book. That was not the case with AJ Fikry. The emotional response was completely unexpected, too. I was weeping throughout the entire final chapter, underlining those previously mentioned poignant lines and passages and wiping tear-splashes off of my glasses. This novel just totally melted me, which is something that rarely happens. I want to share this book with everyone I know who loves books and reading as much as I do and can relate to those things in life that are somewhat unique to readers -- the characteristics we share, etc.
I'll end with what is probably my favorite quote, which I feel sums up the life of a reader quite well: "We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works."