The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry - Relation Fiction Annotation

Author: Gabrielle Zevin

Title: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Genre: Relationship Fiction

Publication Date: 2014

Number of Pages: 260

Geographical Setting: Alice Island, Massachusett

Time Period: Current Day/Time of Publication 

Plot Summary: A.J. Fikry is not living the life that he was expecting to live. At only 39 he is a widower, his bookstore is failing, and one night after getting too drunk, his valuable copy of Tamerlane has been stolen. This effectively ruins A.J.’s plans to sell the book for a small fortune so that he is able to close the bookshop and retire. Soon after this misfortune, someone leaves something for A.J. at the bookshop that effectively changes his life forever. Slowly, the closed off bookseller starts to open up to the people around him and starts seeing everything in a different light. 

Subject Headings: 

Booksellers and bookselling -- Fiction.

Bookstores -- Fiction.

Widowers -- Fiction.

Abandoned children -- Fiction.

Man-woman relationships -- Fiction.

Appeal: 

Setting - For those who enjoy small town settings, this novel would appeal to them. A bookshop setting is also a big appeal to some readers.

Characters - There are many relatable characters in this novel: a widower, an adoptee, someone who is forced to give up their child, a woman in a loveless marriage. There are many characters facing difficult times in this novel but in the end they all seem to find their own happiness.

Story Line - Relationship fiction is said to be stories about "overcoming obstacles, getting second chances, finding one's self, and starting anew" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019). This is very true for this novel. Almost all of the main characters have gone through or are going through some sort of grief in the story and are trying to find themselves and their way back to happiness.

3 terms that best describe this book:

Touching, Mournful, Hopeful

Similar Authors and Works:

Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors

The Hot Young Widows Club by Nora McInerny

The main character of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry has just lost his wife at the beginning of this book. Readers who relate to this character may also enjoy this book. The Hot Young Widows Club is not only for someone who may have just lost their spouse, but for anyone who might be going through a major life struggle. 

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell

Shaun Bythell owns the largest second hand bookshop in Scotland. This memoir recounts all of the joys and hardships that come with owning a bookstore. He talks about absurd customer interactions, book recommendations, and book buying. This will be perfect for readers who loved the “book about books” theme in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. 

Goodbye Again by Candace Cahill

A.J. 's daughter was left in his bookstore with a note from her mother, Marian saying that she cannot take care of her anymore. Marian was a bright young college student who had no support when Maya was born so she chose to do what is best for her daughter. In Goodbye Again, Cahill talks about the hard choices she had to make while pregnant with her son. With a troubled history and no support, Cahill made the decision to give her son to a family that could give him the support that she could not. Any readers who can relate to Marian and the hardships of adoption may enjoy reading Candace Cahill’s story. 

Relevant Fiction Works and Authors

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

Both of these novels are centered around a love of books. Each of the main characters are brought to bookstores due to the death of someone close to them and both stories have quirky, likable characters and engaging writing styles. 

Virgin River by Robyn Carr

At the center of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is a widower who has closed himself off to his friends, family, and town. The story follows the events of his life that help him move on. Similar to this, Virgin River is about a widow, Melinda, who needs a new start in life. When she sees a job opening in the small town of Virgin River, she sees a chance to escape her heartache and start over. Readers who related to the widow/widower aspect of this story might enjoy reading this book.

The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood

In both of these books, you can see how books are used to forge connections between characters and heal troubled pasts. A.J.'s life revolves around books. Both his best friend and sister-in-law use books to connect with him. He meets his next love because of a book. Books play a large part in his healing. Similarly, in The Book that Matters Most, Ava finds a book from her childhood that helped her get through some traumatic things in her past. You will find that both of these novels are character-driven with similar tones and themes.

Resources:

Wyatt, N., & Saricks, J. G. (2019). Chapter 9 Relationship Fiction. In The readers’ advisory guide to genre fiction (3rd ed., p. 196). essay, American Library Association.