As a self-proclaimed bibliophile, I wanted to love this book. We have a quirky, widowed indie bookstore owner who seems to hate everyone. We have a remote setting, a little island that's really only visited in the summer. We have all we need for a quaint tale about a book lover, but... well, this story isn't exactly about books. 
 They play an important part in the story, of course--especially in the beginning, when cranky old Fikry has a priceless tome stolen. But after a couple pages it's quickly resolved that it can't be found (what kind of a police force is this?), and then we move onto the next plot point. Then there's some more drama, which wraps up neatly, and repeat. That's the basic structure of Fikry's life. 
 I do like Fikry's character--he's no gentle old man. He's not even old, despite acting like it. He has a foul mouth and picky literary tastes, and he's probably not what you'd imagined of an independent bookseller. 
 What is this story about? It's about Fikry, sure--the title says so--but it's not. It's about what the bookstore sees; Fikry is merely a character in its life. Maybe that's what bugged me--there's so much focus on Fikry's fairly normal life, but I didn't feel like he was the main character at all. 
 But in a strange twist of fate, the end of this book redeemed it for me. Because in the end, it's not about any one character. Finally, the star of the show has taken center stage. And I get a little emotional about independent bookstores.