A review by reverie_and_books
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
A.J. Fikry is a grieved bookseller in his late thirties. Never being very outgoing, the sudden loss of his dear wife left him not only numb but also quite grumpy. Until someone left a small girl in his care.
Every chapter is introduced by a letter from A.J. to his daughter Maya: full of love, warmth and bookish references. There is also a love-story and tragedy; both of which are told rather (too) lightly. The setting is a small town on a small island with touristy and non-touristy seasons.
I feel obliged to give few minus points for the following comparison: »[…] he had opened and closed the store with the emotionless regularity of an SS officer […]«. Just no, never ever for a funny themed self-observation. Cross that out and you have a story that first seems easy, with a father-daughter-relationship full of warmth and a subtle grin on your face. In the first half I got mostly what I was expecting from this novel, which was a lighter read packed with bookish things and some small town romance sprinkles. However, the second half left me quite sour. I have a desire to spoil, but I’ll refrain and just drop this instead: It does remind me of YA-books that were popular ~10 years ago (it was released 2014 and recently got a new cover).
As with so many stories there are themes that might be upsetting for you. Take care and check for possible content warnings. I would have liked one.
Every chapter is introduced by a letter from A.J. to his daughter Maya: full of love, warmth and bookish references. There is also a love-story and tragedy; both of which are told rather (too) lightly. The setting is a small town on a small island with touristy and non-touristy seasons.
I feel obliged to give few minus points for the following comparison: »[…] he had opened and closed the store with the emotionless regularity of an SS officer […]«. Just no, never ever for a funny themed self-observation. Cross that out and you have a story that first seems easy, with a father-daughter-relationship full of warmth and a subtle grin on your face. In the first half I got mostly what I was expecting from this novel, which was a lighter read packed with bookish things and some small town romance sprinkles. However, the second half left me quite sour. I have a desire to spoil, but I’ll refrain and just drop this instead: It does remind me of YA-books that were popular ~10 years ago (it was released 2014 and recently got a new cover).
As with so many stories there are themes that might be upsetting for you. Take care and check for possible content warnings. I would have liked one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Death, Cancer, Miscarriage, and Car accident