“The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry” by Gabrielle Zevin – Salvation in Literature

Ever since our ancestors learned how to record their thoughts and ideas on cave walls literature has occupied a primordial role in the development of humanity.

Though for some people literature is rather meaningless in day-to-day life, there are others who live their lives by it. A. J. Fikry is one of those people, and he is the driving force behind The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin.

Basically-explained, Fikry is the owner of a failing bookstore that is seeing its worst times yet, his wife passed away last year, and just to make things a bit more unbearable, his rare collection of Poe poems, a most prized possession, was recently stolen. In other words, life simply cannot get worse of Fikry who has resigned himself from having any kind of hope in people and what life can hold for someone. However, a chance encounter sets in motion a journey towards redemption, anchored in love, literature, and their coming together.

What makes this book such a special one, in my opinion, is that the protagonist, Fikry, is so amazingly-crafted by the author that you don’t even need to be invested to any extent in the storyline in order to enjoy this work of art.

Fikry is a very unique person in the sense that he perceives his entire life through the lessons and teachings he drew from the countless books he read. Literature is his life, it’s what he drinks, eats and breathes 24/7.

Every situation he encounters is analyzed in relation to something he once read somewhere, which in the end turns every event into a story in itself. It’s not as if he just spews quotes and allegories mindlessly; he always carefully explains his point of view and supports what he says with rather solid arguments. All in all, I’d say that this novel is worth reading for this reason alone.

What of the story though? Well, to begin with, it does mostly revolve around the bookstore itself as far as geographical locations go, so much that the store becomes a character itself. It’s not just used as some convenient plot device or because the author thought it would make for a relatable setting; Zevin does have a lot to say about books, their power, what they can do to people, how they can help them, and more.

In other words, the love of literature really takes the center stage on many occasions, and on every occasion new and interesting concepts are explored.

Fikry’s walk through his own personal inferno is also something to behold; to see a person going from absolute despair and darkness to hope and happiness is truly inspiring, perhaps even more so because it is developed in a very realistic and believable way.

Many of the interactions Fikry has with the many supporting characters that come to populate his life are truly heartwarming, each one of them having something special to bring to the story.

If the topics of loss, redemption, love and literature are of interest to you, if you don’t mind a slower and more philosophical story with little to no focus on fast-paced action, then I wholeheartedly recommend that you read this book as soon as you get the chance… it will leave you in awe.

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Gabrielle Zevin Personal site Gabrielle Zevin is an author of American origin and also works as a screenwriter. She graduated from Harvard with a degree in English & American Literature. Her first novel, Elsewhere, was published in 2005 and was nominated for the 2006 Quill Award, selected for the Barnes & Noble Book Club, and won the Borders Original Voices Award.