These notes, penned by Fikry, add even more to the "bookish" feel this novel possesses. Each of the thirteen chapters begins with a "shelf talker," a mini-review of a classic novel, including books by Roald Dahl, Mark Twain and Flannery O'Connor. Throughout the novel, various titles of books are referred to, which adds to the charm of the tale. Fikry" is definitely books and the characters' relationships with them. The main focus of "The Storied Life of A.J. Zevin adds several twists to the story, making it an enjoyable, yet unpredictable read. As the book progresses, Fikry's relationships with both Amelia and Maya, along with the citizens of Alice Island, change him from a crotchety widower to a kind, caring soul. Amelia, an energetic and persistent sales rep, continues to call on Fikry several times a year with book recommendations and eventually their relationship blossoms into romance. Lambiase even takes up reading and leads a book club as a result of his frequent visits to Island Books. His life is transformed and his bookstore is revitalized, as Chief Lambiase and other members of the community of Alice Island visit the store often to visit Fikry and Maya. Little Maya steals Fikry's heart and he ends up adopting her. Soon after, it is determined that Maya's mother has drowned. He decides he no longer needs to lock the bookstore's front door in his belief, now that "Tamerlane" is gone he no longer owns anything worth stealing.įikry's life suddenly changes when a precocious two-year old girl named Maya is abandoned in his bookstore. The book, which was valued at $400,000, is not recovered, and Fikry realizes he won't be retiring anytime soon. The chief of police, Chief Lambiase, a kindly man, gets involved when Fikry reports the robbery. Then, his prized possession and primary retirement asset, "Tamerlane," a rare collection of poetry by Edgar Allen Poe, is stolen. Fikry is struggling his wife has died, book sales have declined and he really doesn't have a social life. The novel begins with an encounter between Fikry and Amelia, a publisher sales rep, which goes poorly, due to Fikry's churlish behavior. In the end, we are collected works." The back cover features the adage "No Man Is an Island: Every Book Is a World" which is part of the sign that hangs above the porch of Island Books, a small bookstore in the fictional resort village of Alice Island, off the coast of Massachusetts and owned by the cantankerous A.J. The inside flap states "We are not quite novels. The novel's jacket cover contains two ponderous quotations about books, to give readers a little foretelling of the nature of the narrative. Fikry" by Gabrielle Zevin is a charming salute to books, bookstores and book lovers. Fikry" by Gabrielle Zevin April 2014 Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill 260 pp. Book Review by Ann Jonas, Tradebook Buyer - CSB/SJU Bookstores
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