BOOK REVIEW - The Collected Works Of AJ Fikry by GABRIELLE ZEVIN

PUBLICATION YEAR: 2013 GENRE:  Fiction PAGE COUNT: 243 FORMAT: Paperback AVAILABLE  ONLINE  : amazon

I have not encountered many books which are based on the themes of Reading Books. The only one that  I have come across so far is “ The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak which happens to be my all time favourite. So I was pleased to have found  this book ” The Collected Works of AJ Fikry “ by Gabrielle Zevin  in one of my local bookstores .

The synopsis didn’t reveal much but the front cover is what attracted me to this one. It had a picture of a man and a baby girl reading a book in what looks like a library/bookstore. The blurb in the cover page is given by the author of The Snow Child , Eowyn Ivey and it says ,

” Delightful. I read [it] in one sitting “

I  couldn’t agree more . Although I didn’t finish it one sitting ( I could have though) , it was indeed a delightful read. This book is meant for booklovers like me and I am glad I found this gem of a book.

The story follows a man called AJ Fikry who runs a bookstore named ISLAND BOOKS. He recently lost his wife in an accident. He lives an isolated life and the bookstore  isn’t doing great business either . However one day, he finds a baby girl named Maya in his store and that changes his life drastically. This book chronicles the life of AJ Fikry and the people associated with him. It shows how a book /story has the power to bring people together and affects their lives in the most significant way possible.

The main character AJ Fikry is a widower and prefers to live a secluded  life. He is quite opinionated when it comes to people’s reading tastes and never misses an opportunity to lecture people on bookish stuff.  If I were to meet such a person in real life, I would have hated him upfront  but secretly admired and may be even loved  him for his immense love and  knowledge for books. He is the kind of booklover whose each and every conversation revolves around books and reading. But as he finds Maya , we see a different softer side to him. But that didn’t stop him from speaking his mind.

Apart from AJ and the baby girl Maya , the book also had a large cast of characters who were equally significant. I particularly liked the cop Lambiose. He was a lovable person and it was heartening to see his evolution from a non reader to booklover. The other characters included AJ’s in laws and other staffs.  I constantly wished I was a part of this beautiful story. I could easily see myself a character in this book. 😉
 

Every chapter gave a sneak peek into  AJ Fikry’s diary entry which consisted of  titbits of a certain  book and how it shaped up his life. These books were mostly classics which I haven’t read . So, I had to look up the story in order to get the reference. (I know .. I know... I am a Book NERD .!!😉 )

This book was filled with pop culture and classic book references.

I also got to know a little about the book publishing industry, sales rep etc  . There were book clubs and book themed parties. There was also a restaurant that had a book themed menu.  I simply loved this world. Speaking of things I learnt from this book – I learnt a new word “ anthropomorphizing” . Seriously, how do you even pronounce it..!!! 😄

My favourite part of this book was all the book references. It really warmed my heart. There is also a reference to the “The Book Thief” .  I would like to mention a scene where AJ Fikry is at a restaurant that serves  book themed food .   He says –

“ When I was reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe , I used to think that Turkish delight must be really tasty if it made Edmund betray his family”.

The reason I mention this is because  I was thinking the exact same thing about Turkish delight when I was reading  The Chronicles of Narnia as a kid . Such references are a joy to read for booklovers like me.

As far as the plot was concerned, the story wasn’t anything extraordinary. It was pretty simple with may be one or two major plot twists. The writing style was also simple. There were a few noteworthy quotes that were beautiful. 

The only negative about this book that I can think of  is that beginners or non readers might not be able to wrap their head around the various book references that is sprinkled throughout the narrative.

It is a short fast paced book packed with varied emotions. Apart from satiating your book love , it will also give a few life lessons on second chance, love, marriage etc. It wasn’t a great literary book by any means.It is not something  that will blow your mind away but it would definitely touch your heart.

 It was such a heart-warming read for me  that I already plan on revisiting this book soon.

 

A feel good book for all the booklovers out there.

RATING – 🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑 ( 5/5 )