num_pages: 260
description: On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is 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. Fikrys 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 Islandfrom Lambiase the well-intentioned police officer whos always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island refusing to be deterred by A.J.s bad attitude. 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. Its a small package but large in weight. Its that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over the ability to see everything anew. It doesnt 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 didnt 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.
language: English
title: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
publisher: Algonquin Books