‘Collected Works of A. J. Fikry’ by Gabrielle Zevin, 2014
This small work of fiction captures the reader’s imagination with the closeness of a small community living on an island. Pivotal is the bookshop. Here we meet a widower, grieving for his wife who was killed in a road accident, until a miracle happens.
Grief, friendship and love are the main ingredients. The love of books permeates the whole story, bringing together the main characters. ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ by Mary Ann Shaffer is of a similar ilk. Together they are delightful in their simplicity.
Sometimes I feel the need for an untroubling read before going to sleep. This fits the bill perfectly.
Barbara Pyett 