The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

I have confused feeling about this book. I started off super hesitant to read it, fell into the groove eventually with a smile on my face, and ended it feeling somewhat... ‘meh'.

A.J. Fikry is going through a rough patch in his life, and that is stating it mildly. The author definitely highlights how the character's life has almost hit bottom, yet everything changes when a baby is left in his store. Now, while I ended up liking how things turned out after the inclusion of Maya, I thought this point of change was done rather quickly. A grouchy old man persona turns into someone rather caring and willing to change in an instant! It is also true that time skips and spaces are not really mentioned outright, but do happen, so that may account for the rapid change here, but then begs the question of why many other aspects are so slow. Honestly, the timing and pacing really threw me off. Keeping the ages of the characters correct is rather difficult.

There are some wonderful characters here, most definable and set apart. A.J. Fikry may be hard for some readers to like, but he is definitely relate-able. Maya is the idealistic child that rarely exists, but she makes for a good store. The side characters, for the most part, have charm and make this book feel quite cozy.

The plot though is rather beautiful and wonderfully written, although not dramatic, so I wouldn't recommend this to fans of action or intrigue. This is a book of subtle pleasures, giving the reader a slice of A.J. Fikry's life and of those around him. One might compare this to the Studio Ghibli movie, Kiki's Delivery Service, where nothing truly happens, but everything changes. There is no sinister plot of villain, just an aging book seller on a small island who gets a second chance at life.

This book may be more effective if given to someone who needs reassurance that life is full of second chances and the possibility of change is always there.