The Collected Works of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

It has to be said, and there’s no other way to describe it, this novel is charming and sweet - the book form of chocolate or running through a field of daisies in springtime. And, for book lovers, it’s a treat to savour for its unapologetic celebration of the joys of reading.

A.J. owns the only bookshop on Alice Island. He and his wife Nic had abandoned their graduate degrees in literature and decided to embrace the literary life in a more physical manner, returning to Nic's hometown and opening their own bookstore. A few years later, Nic had a Danielle Steel moment, carelessly driving off the road, resulting in her tragic death. A bitter A.J. is still struggling to adjust to her loss.

When publishing rep, Amelia, comes on her first twice yearly sales visit, she is 'greeted' by a taciturn A.J. who has no hesitation in expressing his dislike of great swathes of her winter list. A.J. has particular tastes, including a pet hate for mash-ups, "Literary should be literary, and genre should be genre, and crossbreeding rarely results in anything satisfying."

When two year old, Maya, is abandoned in the bookshop, the story takes a new direction.  Where did she come from and who left her there?  And, most importantly, what should be done?

While the storyline keeps you turning pages, the richness in this novel doesn't come from the bare bones of the plot, but what hangs off them.  I was a little sceptical that this was going to turn out overly sentimental and simplistic, but Zevin manages to pull off a pitch perfect example of a self-consciously literary inspired tragi-comic Young Adult novel for adults - which proved to be surprisingly satisfying.

Reviewed by Spot

Catalogue Link - The Collected Works of A.J. Fikry