The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

　　住在愛麗絲島上的A. J. Fikry在經歷太太過世，經營的書店生意下滑，就連珍本愛倫坡詩集也被偷走的一連串打擊下，讓他刻意孤立自己，拒絕所有好意，包括親切的警長Lambiase、一心想把他從苦悶地獄解救出來的小姨子Ismay，還有百折不撓、無視A. J.臭臉、堅持搭渡輪來島上拜訪的出版社業務Amelia等人。他徹底失去了對書的熱情，直到某天一個神秘包裹來到他手上。

　　包裹不大，卻很有份量，它消除了A. J.的絕望，整個世界對他而言就像全新的一樣，許多平凡事物都能引起他的好奇。小島上的居民慢慢發現了他的轉變，就連出版社業務也對這位倔強的書店老闆另眼相看。店裡的書籍再次攫獲了他的目光，成為滋潤生命的養份。只是，這次神奇的好運是否有結束的一天呢……？（文／博客來編譯）　　

　　In the spirit of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Gabrielle Zevin’s enchanting novel is a love letter to the world of books--and booksellers--that changes our lives by giving us the stories that open our hearts and enlighten our minds.  

　　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. Fikry’s 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 Island--from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s 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. It’s a small package, but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t 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 didn’t 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.

作者簡介

　　Gabrielle Zevin has published six adult and young adult novels, including Elsewhere, an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, which has been translated in over twenty languages. She is the screenwriter of Conversations with Other Women (starring Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart), for which she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. She has also written for the New York Times Book Review and NPR’s All Things Considered. She lives in Los Angeles. Her website is www.gabriellezevin.com.