The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

by Gabrielle Zevin

“This wouldn’t be a restaurant per se, but I always wanted to try the Turkish Delight in Narnia. When I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a boy, I used to think that Turkish Delight must be incredibly delicious if it made Edmund betray his family,” A.J. says. “I guess I must have told my wife this, because one year Nic gets a box for me for the holidays. And it turned out to be this powdery, gummy candy. I don’t think I’ve ever been so disappointed in my entire life.”

I had this experience with Turkish Delight -- like A.J., I remember thinking, Edmund in Narnia betrays his whole family for Turkish Delight, and it's this? Serious question: is there some other Turkish Delight out there that's amazing? Have I just encountered the wrong Turkish Delight? I apparently have given people a "Turkish Delight" type experience, too. I once wrote a book that featured the Beatles' White Album, and a young woman at a book festival told me she had listened to the White Album because of the book, and I said, "Did you love it?" And she smiled politely, and said, "It was okay." Have you ever read about something in a book that sounded amazing, but when you encountered it in real life, it was disappointing?