The Roadrunner Cafe by Jamie Zerndt

Kindle Edition, 296 pages
Published April 2nd 2015 by Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Original Title: Brailling for Wile
☆☆☆1/2
About the Book:
One year after his father's suicide, Carson Long feels cheated. He hates his father for leaving him and his sister, Georgie, alone. He hates him for turning his mother into a young widow who hasn't left the house in months. And he hates his father for leaving behind his stupid tree. Four of them are planted outside the restaurant, one for each family member. That is until Carson's mother, no longer able to stand the sight of the tree, hires a local landscaper to remove it in the middle of the night. This seemingly unremarkable act soon sets in motion of series of events in the small Colorado ski town that leaves more than just young Carson groping in the dark for answers.  The Roadrunner Café is a unique novel told from multiple points of view about loss and the lengths some will go to heal the human heart. Ultimately, it is a story about what it takes to go on living even when everything in the world might be telling us it isn't possible to. 

We’ve all been haunted. But I think these letters might have just turned the lights on for me. For us. I feel like there’s nothing to be afraid of anymore. The ghost has been sent running.

This was my first exposure to the clever genius of Jamie Zerndt, and I was quickly hooked by his thoughtful storytelling. His first-person narrative was evocative, atmospheric, and compelling with a descriptive and nuanced writing style. The premise was unique and engaging with several well-woven and intriguing storylines.

The family scenes and relationships are drawn with such tender insight that you recognize your own. The small-town rituals, and the vividness of Colorado made me feel like I was there and I hated to leave when the book was over.

The story is compassionate and heartbreaking and that brings each character to life and draws you in from the first page to the end. I couldn't stop reading, it pulled me in and made me feel as if I was experiencing what each character was feeling. It's a must read if you believe in community and family.