A.J. 
Fikry is the owner of Island Books. He is a young widower, more connected to books than he is to the other people on Alice Island. Things begin to change when a baby is left in his store with a note asking that he care for her. Author, Gabrielle Zevin deftly describes the relationships between A.J. and books, his daughter, his wife, and his friends without becoming overly sentimental.
Some of A.J.’s insights that come near the end of the novel:
“Dad. What a word. What a little big word.”
“The words you can’t find, you borrow. We read to know we’re not alone. We read because we are alone. We read and we are not alone. We are not alone.”
I strongly recommend this to book lovers. Something about the tone reminded me of another favorite of mine, The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver.
You must be logged in to post a comment.