The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin.

This is one of those "big little books," a book that will take a day or two to read from beginning to end, yet make a lasting impression causing the reader to think about the meaning of life.

Beautifully written, there are no wasted words coming from the author or her characters. There is something about each character that feels familiar.

The story is of a man who owns a bookshop on a fictional "tourist" island off the coast of Massachusetts. He is a young widower who is not coping with the sudden loss of his wife who dies in a car accident..."She was a terrible driver."
There is a community of friends, family, and customers who, as I said, seem just like people you know.

The ending is a surprise, both in its sadness and its optimism.

This book is now currently being made into a movie with a well known cast, including Christina Hendricks who plays the sister-in-law of the main character A.J. Fikry. As I was reading this book, before I knew it was being made into a movie, I thought to myself "Wow, this book is wonderful. It should be made into a movie and they should get Christina Hendricks to play Ismay, because she was born for that role!"

Highly recommend.