Book Review: The Storied Life Of AJ Fikry

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This book review is about The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, a New York Times bestseller.

My Book Review:

A.J. Fikry is a bookseller on Alice Island. He abhors electronic reading and loves the books lining the bookshelves in his store, just waiting for someone to choose them.

He experiences a profound personal transformation after a series of unfortunate events upends his life.

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, and his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history. And his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen.

His wife is dead, and his life is pretty predictable. Then life becomes totally unpredictable. A.J. Fikry comes in from a run to find the front door is open, and a mysterious package has been delivered. He is surprised to see a two-year-old girl abandoned in his bookstore.

This event, along with other unexpected relationships and circumstances, forces him to confront his grief, his isolation, and his curmudgeonly nature. This leads him to discover a new sense of purpose and love. It is the chance to make his life over and see everything anew. 

The story is about how life can turn around on a dime, and with a fortuitous and unexpected gift. A.J. Fikry learns to live and love again.

About Author Gabrielle Zevin:

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry was turned into a film in 2022 and is based on Zevin’s title. This American comedy drama film was written by Gabrielle Zevin, directed by Hans Canosa, and starring Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Hale, Christina Hendricks, David Arquette, and Scott Foley.

Zevin was born in New York City. Zevin’s father, who is American-born, has Russian, Polish, and Lithuanian Jewish ancestry. Her mother was born in Korea and immigrated to the United States when she was 9 years old.

Zevin’s debut novel, Margarettown, published in 2005, was a selection of the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Program and longlisted for the James Tiptree Jr. Award.

Her first young adult novel, Elsewhere, was published in 2005, three months after her adult debut, Margarettown.

Her fourth novel for adults, Young Jane Young (2017), was also met with critical acclaim. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was released in 2022 as Zevin’s fifth novel for adults. The book spent over a year on the New York Times Best Seller List and was named a best book of the year by more than twenty-five publications.

Zevin has written book reviews for the New York Times Book Review and NPR’s All Things Considered. Her books have been translated into over forty languages, and she lives in Los Angeles.

You can read more of my book reviews here.