The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

by Gabrielle Zevin

Amelia the bright-sider believes it is better to be alone than to be with someone who doesn’t share your sensibilities and interests.

To an extent, I believe this, too, but unlike Amelia, I'm an introvert—solitude has never cost me very much. Still, I wrote THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY ten years ago, and the last two years have shown how much we, humans, crave togetherness. But perhaps, what's truly noble is figuring out how to make connections with those who don't share your sensibilities and interests. I don't think of myself as a person who is only friends with the like-minded, and yet, the truth is, I almost exclusively have friends who are like-minded. So, I toss it back to you: Is it better to be alone than to be with someone who doesn't share your sensibilities and interests?