Bo's Cafe

The book begins with the narrator Steven's surreal encounter with his old, forgotten acquaintance Andy at their remodeled neighborhood restaurant. Steven has, seemingly, everything he desires in life aside from a good relationship with his wife. Andy appears to be a mind-reader who withholds information from the young man that could potentially release him from his circumstances. Together, the unlikely duo engage in philosophical talks and mindless banter alike, often speaking in circles until Andy decides to take Steven to Bo's Café, his authentic joint and “safe place” where Steven eventually learns to loosen up.

Co-authored by John Lynch, Bill Thrall and Bruce McNicol, the trio behind the Christian best-selling book TrueFaced, there is little surprise that Bo's Café is a fiction novel rife with religious underpinnings. The question that must be asked is who is the novel's target audience? Judging from the simplistic and PG-13 writing style, it would not be unfair to relegate Bo's Café to the Young Adult section. Furthermore, while the authors do a passable job creating scenarios of conflict and introspection, they fail to convey realistic dialogue, which are often full of the vaguest allegories imaginable and written in a “self-help” and condescending tone.

While crafted with good intentions, the message of Bo's Café easily gets lost in an elementary prose that devoid the readers of any credit. A serious revamp would be necessary if Bo's Café wishes to reach out to discerning, non-Christians readers who have a deep appreciation of literature.

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