Review of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
The book seemed shallow while reading the first half. The story had potential but seemed lacking in the telling. Major events would occur and would be described in only a short paragraph before moving on to another major happening. It wasn’t until backstories began filling in the blanks that the book had my full attention. The author did make clever use of those backstories to eventually bring things together.
I can’t say I felt a strong attachment to any of the characters, even A. J. Some seemed more like cardboard characters than warm blooded humans. They were bit players in what became a story that drew me in and made me want to know how everything would turn out. However a great story in itself doesn’t make a great book. The picture the author draws of the story characters, the voice and actions of the characters are what makes the story to come alive in the mind of the reader. Gabrielle Zevin could have enhanced the story by more complete development and humanizing of the main characters.
That said I do recommend the book to the patient reader who will be rewarded when all the loose ends come together. I rated the story a three stars on Amazon.
Alfred Wellnitz Published Book and Short Story Information at:
Alfred Wellnitz Books 
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