THE STORIED LIFE OF A. J. FIKRY

THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKERY by Gabrielle Zevin

Unfortunately, this is one I did not fall in love with. It is being made into a movie, so obviously at least part of the reading world (and Hollywood) disagree with me!

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin is messy, but that is what makes it attractive to readers in today's world. Fikry and his wife owned a bookstore on Alice Island, an island that is predominantly inhabited during the summer months by vacationers, until his wife and unborn child were killed in a car crash. Now he runs the bookstore by himself. When his sales rep from Knightley Press shows up to sell him the newest releases, she finds a very disgruntled, very narrow genre appreciating bookstore owner. On top of everything his valuable, antique book of Poe's poetry is stolen, and someone leaves a toddler in the bookstore with a note addressed to the owner of the bookstore. The toddler is uncommonly intelligent, and thus begins a new chapter in Fikry's life with new possibilities.

So why did I struggle getting into this book? Books about bookstores are really popular right now. A friend of mine, who works in a bookstore, tells me it is because authors are trying to ignite readers' love in bookstores again. I recently read The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin, and it was so good that it may have ruined all other bookstore novels for me. (If you haven't read it, grab it!) Also, I had a hard time relating to a bookstore owner that is so negative towards lots of books!! Then it was the casual sex encounters and the f-bombs that I was having to dodge that made this book unimmersable to me. I read at least half of it, and then skipped to the end to see how it all ends. The one thing I will say about Storied Life is the ongoing theme of hope and continuing on right up to the very end when things don't go how we plan is very evident.

HEADS UP- Casual sex experiences, language including F-bombs, A.J.'s brother is constantly cheating on his wife.