I love a challenge. Photo-a-day challenges on Instagram…watch me go. Signing up for a new race…that’s the only way to get me running. So, when I heard about SavvyReader’s 50 Book Pledge, I knew I was in. Sign up, set a challenge, and track your books read. Because it’s on social media, you can share with your friends, see their bookshelves and recommend the books you love. It’s a fun way to keep tabs on what you’re reading, and I’m pleased that I’m on pace to meet my personal challenge.
Some books make my 50 Book Challenge seem a little daunting (I’ve set aside big tomes like The Luminaries because they’d slow down my progress), but others make it so easy. Last week I read The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, and I couldn’t put it down for the two days I was reading it. If all books were this wonderful and compelling, I’d be signing up for a 150 Book Challenge.
From the jacket,
Hanging over the porch of the tiny New England bookstore called Island Books is a faded sign with the motto “No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World.” A.J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means.
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. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly. 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. 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 him or for a determined sales rep named Amelia to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light. The wisdom of all those books again become the lifeblood of A.J.’s world and everything twists 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 is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read and why we love.
This is such a wonderful book. Each chapter is preceded by a short description of one of Fikry’s own favourite short stories. In each case, the story foreshadows the happenings of the characters and the novel.
Gabrielle Zevin has introduced a cast of the most enjoyable characters I’ve encountered in a while. I love the book loving cop, Chief Lambiase, whose tastes become more literary as he hangs out with Fikry, to the point where he’s leading a Book Club for other police officers. And there’s the grumpy Fikry himself, whose transformation throughout the book is somehow both remarkable and fully believable.
This is a must-read for any book lover, if only for lines like “They had only ever discussed books but what, in this life is more personal than books?” and “People tell boring lies about politics, God, and love. You know everything you need to know about a person from the answer to the question: What is your favourite book?” The novel forces us to think about the role that the books we read take on in our lives.
The book is deceptively light, but packs an emotional whollop with examinations of literature and love, and their ability to transform our lives. It’s a book that you could easily read multiple times (if you weren’t in a 50 Book Challenge, that is).
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