Book Review: "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry" by Gabrielle Zevin

"The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry" by Gabrielle Zevin
First published in 2014
260 pages
My rating: 5 out of 5
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"The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry" is a book for bookish people -- and therefore I loved it. It's possibly the best novel I've read all year, full of charm and humor and plenty of literary references.

A.J. Fikry is a widower who owns the only book store on Alice Island in Massachusetts. A.J.'s depressed, apathetic and prickly, and he spends his nights drinking too much and heating up frozen Indian food. He thinks things really couldn't get much worse, until a priceless book -- which he was planning to sell and retire on -- is stolen from his shop.

But A.J.'s whole world changes when a toddler is abandoned at his store, with a note from her mother saying she would like her baby to grow up around books.

I enjoyed the wry, self-deprecating humor, the simplicity of the story, and the author's pure and true love of books that shone throughout the story. I laughed out loud. I smiled. I swooned. I loved all the protagonists -- old-fashioned and grouchy bookstore owner A.J., adorable and intelligent little Maya, and Amelia Loman, an eccentric and upbeat publishing house representative who finds herself making extra trips to Alice Island to see a certain bookseller.

If you're a booklover -- and you probably are if you're reading this review! -- then you should pick up this light-hearted, funny and touching tale of love, loss, friendship and books.