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

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island--from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law ; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic Knightley Press sales rep who refuses to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him.

And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.’s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn’t see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry ($25.95) is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.

Gabrielle Zevin has published six adult and young adult novels, including Elsewhere, an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, which has been translated in over twenty languages. She is the screenwriter of Conversations with Other Women (starring Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart), for which she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. She has also written for the New York Times Book Review and NPR’s All Things Considered.

 

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The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel By Gabrielle Zevin Cover Image
ISBN: 9781616203214
Availability: Out of Print
Published: Algonquin Books - April 1st, 2014