The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Gabrielle Zevin

A.J. Fikry’s life is at a total loss. He lost his wife from a car accident, book sales from their bookstore is at its lowest and he discovers that his most prized possession, a rare copy of Tamerlane by E.A.Poe, is stolen. He has lost all hope and would rather live in total isolation because of the pain and grief of a love lost.

When an unexpected package is left in his bookstore, he rediscovers himself and his capability to love and care again. Slowly, he regains his lost self through Maya and shares his passion for books at the small town of Alice.

1. The transition from A.J. solitary life to sudden fatherhood was touching. It shows that people can change from bad to good. Having Maya helped him regain his life, his business and his relationship with other people. He got back on his feet and became a better man.
2. Throughout the story, you can feel how much he loved his daughter. Everything was about raising Maya and being a great parent to her.
3. I love that the characters loved books. Everything revolved around books and stories. Every now and then, excerpts from famous books are introduced which is awesome.
4. Even though this is a very heartfelt story, I can’t help but think that something is lacking. Maybe the story was too short or the transition of events became too fast for me. It was hard to cherish every moment since after every chapter Maya grows and then we were pushed to the end where A.J. is old and sickly. It was written so it can end right away. Bam, he’s dead.
5. It was also important that the author did not fail to input side stories about the other characters in the story. It helped a lot in building the storied life of A.J. Fikry.
6. If anything, I would have wanted to know what happened to Maya and Amelia after moving out of Alice Island.

The story is a very short read, enjoyable and very heartfelt. The pace was (too) fast that you will realize it was over just when it was beginning to get good.