The Storied Life Of Aj Fikry

“In Amelia’s experience, most people’s problems would be solved if they would only give more things a chance.” 

Amelia makes this generalization from her experience trying to sell books that people baselessly pass up, but the quotation applies both to her life and to the book trade. For example, when A.J. finally gives Amelia a chance, he ends up falling in love with her. Later, when Ismay finally gives Chief Lambiase a chance, the same thing happens. Throughout the book, the idea remains present that risk can be necessary for finding joy. 

“I don’t want to die […] I just find it difficult to be here all the time.” 

A.J. tells the doctor this when she asks if he is suicidal. He has recently lost his wife and his most prized possession, and therefore has started lapsing into absence seizures—hence the doctor’s visit. From this quotation, it’s clear that A.J.’s pleasure from literature relates to the non-permanent escape it provides, and that there is a sharp difference between reality and what A.J. wants to experience. It also introduces suicide as one of the major motifs of the book.

“This is true in books and also in life.”

This line finishes A.J.’s book review of "The Luck of Roaring Camp." This introduces one of the biggest questions of the novel: How much can literature inform about life, and how much doesn’t translate? For A.J. and Maya, there is a very close connection between books and life, and they often try to navigate a path by first discovering what is true in literature.

“[O]nce a person gives a shit about one thing, he finds he starts having to give a shit about everything.” 

A.J. has this thought at Maya's adoption party after realizing he loves her. It reflects both his relationship with Maya and Ismay’s hope for Daniel once their child is born. Once A.J. cared about Maya, he cared more about his bookstore, his home, and even himself. Ismay hopes for this same progression to happen to her husband when she gives birth to their child. She hopes that once he cares about their child, he will care about the other parts of their lives, as well. 

“[H]ow we hate to be alone.” 

Ismay says this to A.J. when she is explaining why she would rather stay in the hospital than go home after her fifth miscarriage. This quotation reflects the mentality of several characters in this novel. A.J. and Amelia both search for love in hopes of not being alone, and later, when Maya is older, she too agrees to the company of a suitor named John whom she doesn’t seem to particularly care for, but whose existence means she doesn’t have to be alone. In addition, when A.J. dies, he realizes that being alone is the worst the world has to offer.  

“I cannot say I would have liked it as well P.M. (pre-Maya).” 

This quotation comes from A.J.’s review of Richard Bausch’s “What Feels Like the World.” He explains to Maya that he had never read the short story before becoming her parent and therefore cannot comment on what his reaction to the story would have been prior to knowing her. A.J. is hyperaware of how much Maya has changed both his life and who he is as an individual. He sees the change as both natural and huge; therefore, the initials he uses to signify the period before he knew her are P.M.—the same initials used to signify the change between night and day. 

“[T]he pictures sometimes give you the wrong idea. She would prefer to know the words.” 

Maya says this when she is reflecting on her desire to learn to read; many instances throughout the book confirm her thought. For example, The Late Bloomer appears to be uninteresting based on its clichéd cover art, but the story itself is actually quite compelling. This theory also proves true when A.J. bases their plans to visit the topiary animal garden based on pictures without consulting the adjoining text. The garden is closed—an issue that would not have arisen if he had referenced the words instead of the pictures.  

“[E]very bad thing in life is a result of bad timing, and every good thing in life is a result of good timing.” 

Chief Lambiase says this to A.J. when A.J. reveals that he has a crush on Amelia, who is engaged to someone else. Throughout the novel, timing is everything. Besides the few instances that Chief Lambiase lists off himself, one can view Nic’s accident and A.J.’s love for The Late Bloomer as examples of failure or success based on timing.

“Sometimes, though, I get tired of learning lessons.” 

A.J. says this to Maya when they are walking home from her dance recital and he is explaining his philosophy about love. A.J.’s words reveal a question he struggles to answer throughout the book: What is more important in life—learning from books or learning from experience? While A.J. is typically enthusiastic about book learning, here, he realizes that information is useless if one has no chance to act on it. 

“They know there is no such thing as perfect.” 

Chief Lambiase makes this hard-earned claim to his mother at Amelia and A.J.’s wedding. At the beginning of the novel, A.J. believes life should work like a book, and that there should be a reason for everything. When he accepts that this isn’t the case, he is able to navigate life much more successfully, leading him to find Amelia and build a happy life.

“It is exciting to be chosen even if it means being criticized.” 

Maya thinks this after her teacher shares her essay with the class. The idea that being chosen equates to great sacrifice applies to more than just this incident. For example, despite his ongoing infidelity, Ismay stays with Daniel simply because he chose her for his wife. Additionally, A.J. feels chosen by Marian and as a result, adopts her child. Throughout the book, the characters often willingly suffer in order to feel special. 

“A place is not truly a place without a bookstore.” 

Nic says this to A.J. when they are deciding to abandon their college careers and open a bookstore instead—truly a labor of love. Due to the efficiency of e-readers and online bookstores, print books and bookstores have had to work extra hard to make a name for themselves. This book draws attention to bookstores' many qualities, such as their ability to host community events and create stimulating conversation between shoppers. 

“Things take time to figure out. Sometimes years.” 

One of the policewomen in Chief Lambiase’s detective book group says this during a group discussion. Though it is referencing the book the group just read, the statement is applicable to the novel at large. While technology allows for faster processes—like learning how to properly bathe a two-year-old or finding an education attraction in a particular city—so much of life still requires time in order to be successful. A.J. and Amelia’s relationship is a prevalent example of something that takes years to figure out, as is the mystery behind Marian's death. 

“[T]he best parts of him were in his books.” 

Ismay says this about her deceased husband, Daniel, when she is on a date with Chief Lambiase. This line teases a theme that comes up often throughout the book: the idea that there is often a disjunction between the author and their work. While this is true of Daniel, it’s also true of the author of The Late Bloomer, and on a metaphorical level, it is also true of Marian and the narrative of her suicide. This line—and the novel in general—ultimately suggest that books do not reveal their authors' true nature as often as readers expect them to. 

“Children often spoil a story for me.” 

Ismay says this when describing her ideal story to Chief Lambiase. While she is referencing written words, there is the implication that children can ruin the narrative in real life, as well. For example, Maya imagines that for Marian, having a child ruined the story she was writing for herself. Ismay has also experienced children spoiling her story, since she believes her failure to carry a baby to term contributed to the failure of her marriage.

“[P]eople do all sorts of things, and they usually have their reasons.” (

Chief Lambiase has this thought after he discovers that Ismay has A.J.’s stolen copy of Tamerlane. This quotation calls to mind A.J.’s earlier hope that everything in life will work out as neatly as a fictional narrative does. While some of A.J.’s experiences have led him to believe that everything actually is random and unpredictable, Chief Lambiase—who has studied people and their motivations for years—circles back to A.J.’s original belief that most things have a logical explanation.

“I figured there must be a story.” 

Chief Lambiase says this to Ismay when he is explaining to her why he never mentioned stealing A.J.’s book until he knew A.J. needed the money from it. This quotation ties into the constant theme of life versus fiction. Even though life has more random factors than fiction often does, much of what happens in life can—and some may argue should—be explained through narrative. 

“The baby doesn’t have to be in Daniel Parish’s life.” 

This is what Marian Wallace tells Ismay when she shows up asking for financial support for her illegitimate daughter. Marian’s use of Daniel’s full name demonstrates her distance from Daniel, and, as Ismay points out, proves that Marian considers him higher in status than she. 

“We agree to be disappointed sometimes so that we can be exhilarated every now and again.” 

Chief Lambiase has this thought after listening to A.J. lament a life of disappointment. His words emphasize the necessity of taking risks—a theme present throughout the novel. At one point, A.J. compares himself to a gambler, having to take chances on his love life and his business in order to move forward in life. Placed this close to the conclusion of the novel, the quotation demonstrates that the risks are (often) worth it in the end.

“Is it really worth the money for two more years that are likely to be crappy?” 

A.J. asks Amelia this while he is awaiting brain surgery. He weighs the worth of his life with money, discounting other values, which leads him to consider suicide as a reasonable alternative to financial ruin. 

“You can’t introduce a nickname at this point in our relationship.”  

Amelia says this to A.J. after he calls her “Big Bird” while lying in pre-op before surgery. This quotation pays homage to the importance of naming, which is omnipresent throughout the novel. Often the name of something changes to reflect a more intimate transformation between characters, like when A.J. starts calling Amelia "Amy" in order to signify the more casual nature of their relationship. Changing her name when he is about to undergo surgery would signify a new stage in their relationship at a point when Amelia just wants to remember what she has.  

“I believe that this is what the point of it all is. To connect.” 

A.J. writes this piece of hard-earned wisdom to Maya in his review of Roald Dahl’s “The Bookseller.” A.J. spent much of his early life trying to connect with characters—not real people. Only toward the end of his life does he start to appreciate the value of other people and their effect on his life. The hope here is that Maya will gain this wisdom much earlier than A.J. did.  

“I know what words do […] they let us feel less.” 

A.J. has this epiphany as he is trying to converse with Maya for the last time and the cancer prohibits him from correctly expressing himself. In his earlier years, he saw literature as a map to life, and often tried to solve Maya’s problems through prescribed reading lists. However, as death approaches, he realizes that the words in books often took him away from experiencing life instead of bringing him closer to it.