The Storied Life Of Aj Fikry

A.J. reviews Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” He sums up the whole story in four words: “Family trip goes awry” (103). He focuses on how the story is Amelia Loman’s favorite and how this choice makes Amelia “wonderful” (103).

Right before Maya starts kindergarten, she gets chicken pox. A.J. takes excellent care of her for three days and reads while doing so. He randomly comes across the book Amelia suggested to him the day he found out Harvey died—The Late Bloomer—and decides to read it; the book moves him to tears. He calls Amelia hoping to leave a message about how much he has enjoyed the book, but she answers, which catches him off guard. He admits to her that he loved the book and they decide to have “late lunch” next time she comes to the island to sell books (110).

The pair meets at a seafood restaurant where Amelia orders a themed cocktail and makes thinly veiled insinuations about A.J. needing to live it up a little more. They joke about what literary-themed restaurant they would most want to visit. A.J. asks why Amelia loves The Late Bloomer, hoping she will praise more than just the text’s formal elements. She tells him the question is “personal” but answers it by saying she was intrigued by the idea of “finding great love at any age” (117). When she asks him the same question, A.J. explains that the book made him better understand his feelings about his wife’s death. Amelia tells him she is engaged to a military man she met online who doesn’t like to read but treats her well. A.J. pays for their meal and calls her fiancé “heroic” (120). When they depart, Amelia tells A.J. to call her “Amy.”

In the following weeks, A.J. reads all the books recommended by Amelia's company and orders more books than ever. He emails her repeatedly about the books but tries to keep the correspondence professional. When he gets to the last book on her publisher’s list, he can’t bring himself to email her, knowing that doing so will mean there is no professional reason to contact her again for at least a few more months. A.J. appears “sad” enough that Maya notices and connects his sadness with Amelia (123). A.J. is surprised; he did not realize Maya knew who Amelia was.

Over drinks one evening, A.J. confesses to Chief Lambiase that he has romantic feelings for Amelia. Chief Lambiase suggests dating some non-engaged people. A.J. attempts to follow this advice, but his dating efforts result in awkward sex and some name-calling—nothing deeper.

Ismay is concerned that Maya is socially underdeveloped and needs to spend more time with other children. A.J. is offended, but he gives into Ismay’s suggestion that Maya take up dance—which A.J. finds rather “sexist” (128). A.J. begins a friendship with Maya’s dance instructor who also advises him to date, but he says he likes his life as it is.

During the holidays, the weather is so bad that Daniel—out of boredom and a determination to avoid Ismay—often hangs out with Maya and A.J. One day, when Maya and Daniel are reading together, Maya discovers that Daniel is a writer. He explains to her that reading is one way to become a better writer to which Maya responds that she would like to be a writer, as well.

With spring comes A.J.’s much-anticipated meeting with Amelia. He invites her out to eat again, but before they can reconnect in person Amelia slips on some ice and injures herself. Her fiancé calls A.J. to let him know what happened and that she won’t be able to meet as expected. They reschedule and decide to hold the meeting over Skype. During the meeting, A.J. absorbs all the details of Amelia’s surroundings, sometimes not paying much attention to what she is saying at all. At the conclusion of the conversation, A.J. discovers that Amelia is no longer in a relationship with the man she was supposed to marry. She explains that in the end they “didn’t have much in common” (142). A.J. offers his condolences and they agree to meet again.

A.J. looks up “educational family attractions” to visit near Amelia—who lives in Providence, Rhode Island—so that he can create an excuse to see her (142). He finds a topiary garden Maya says she would like to visit and asks Chief Lambiase to drive them. A.J. texts Amelia to say he will be in Providence and ask if she would like visitors. She says she would be okay with a visit and offers to cook.

The three travel several hours to what turns out to be a closed topiary garden. It’s freezing. Maya tries to use her imagination since she can’t actually see the exhibits. A.J. feels awful about making this mistake and they visit a Victorian mansion. Chief Lambiase offers to take Maya to the museum. Meanwhile, A.J. visits Amelia; he brings her some presents and eats her homemade lasagna while they talk about the need to find a lover with similar passions. As they walk through her bedroom, she stops at the bed and invites him to join her.

While Amelia sleeps, A.J. searches her office for one of the books he saw in the background when they were meeting over Skype. He couldn’t make out the title over the computer but he learns that the book she always keeps by her is A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor. A.J. writes Amelia a note saying he hopes to see her again soon and leaves.

A.J. reviews Mark Twain’s “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” for Maya. He says this story about a gambler and his frog is worth reading because it is “fun,” rather than because the plot is good (153). He notes that while he is writing this review, Maya is sitting with Amy and her cat, and that he is currently “happier” than he has ever been (154).

Under the pretense of business, Amelia makes several trips from Providence to visit A.J. during the fall. Since he is stocking so many of her publisher’s books, however, no one asks questions. As the relationship develops, Maya and Amelia grow closer. Maya questions why Amelia doesn’t live with them. Amelia struggles to explain the career restrictions that keep them apart and later calls A.J. to say she thinks that, “the situation is pretty much irresolvable” (158). All of their friends and relatives tell them the long-distance relationship is a bad idea. Over the summer, however, they spend two wonderful weeks together, and A.J. decides he has to come up with more ways to get her to visit. He invites the author of The Late Bloomer, Leon Friedman, to read at the bookstore. Amelia is hesitant at first about attending because her mother will be in town but ultimately agrees. A.J. makes all the arrangements for the reading—an activity he undertakes solely to impress Amelia.

Soon after he sets these plans in motion, A.J. solicits Maya’s help to search for an engagement ring for Amelia. A.J. warns Maya that Amelia could say “no.” Maya confesses that Amelia seemed worried about A.J.’s true feelings, so she revealed that A.J. planned the topiary garden visit as an excuse to see Amelia.

The day comes for Leon Friedman’s reading. The author, who looks younger than his photo, asks A.J. for advice about how to go about the reading, reports that he plays Santa at Macy’s, and asks for something “harder than wine” (169). The reading is brief, followed by Friedman vomiting all over Amelia’s mother and several of the pre-signed books. A.J. is full of regret over his choice to invite this writer into his store. Ismay and A.J. take a drunk and sick Friedman to the ferry.

While Amelia is cleaning up at the shop, she notices a well-dressed woman still sitting in the back aisle; she turns out to be the true author of The Late Bloomer. The woman, Leonora Ferris, reveals that she believed the book would market better as non-fiction rather than as fiction, so she sold it under a man’s name—and hired Leon from a casting company to pose as the author. Amelia feels somewhat fooled and decides not to tell A.J. so he doesn’t feel duped as well.

When A.J. comes home that night, he proposes and Amelia accepts. They get married in late fall. Amelia invites Leonora to read at their wedding.

The chapter begins with A.J.’s a brief, personalized review of Irwin Shaw’s “The Girls in Their Summer Dresses.” A.J. explains that the story is about an unfaithful husband and that it has a “twist” toward the end (189). He advises Maya to be selective when marrying.

Ismay is bitter at the wedding—bitter about Daniel’s disrespect for her, her seven miscarriages, her unrewarding job, her age—and about Amelia replacing Nic. She tries to tell herself to be nice, but this proves to be difficult. Ismay sneaks out and walks down to the shore where she contemplates suicide, comparing herself both to Maya’s mom, who appears to have killed herself by drowning, and the protagonist from Kate Chopin’s The Awakening who also intentionally drowned. Before she can do go through with anything, Chief Lambiase appears and offers her his jacket. They both agree that weddings can make you feel “lonely as hell,” but when Lambiase tries to hit on Ismay, she tells him he is going too far (195).

Inside, Daniel is flirting with Amelia’s maid of honor, who is privy to his unfaithfulness. Ismay walks up to them and whispers that she is ready to go. Too drunk to drive, Daniel decides to leave with her. In the car, Ismay tells Daniel she no longer wants to be married to him. He tries to argue, but she explains she can never forgive him for not claiming Maya. He acts confused at first, but Ismay reveals that she knows Maya’s mother, Marian, was his former lover and that Marian committed suicide because of him. She claims says she is aware that Maya is actually his daughter; Ismay is disgusted he never told anyone. Daniel counters that there is no proof Maya is his and that his affair with Marian was very brief. Ismay says she doesn’t love him at all. Two passing cars hit them, and Daniel’s last thought before he dies is that he wrote the car accident scene well in his first novel. Ismay survives.