Das Café: Jeder Braucht Einen Ort, An Dem Er Echt Sein Kann (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
I really enjoyed Paul Young’s The Shack so when I realized Windblown Media had finally brought out another book I was very keen to read it. Bo’s Café is certainly an interesting book; very different from the Shack, but with a similar grace-filled message. While the Shack starts with solid real-world tragedy then slides into mystery, Bo’s Café opens with a mysteriously meaningful encounter, only to slide its way into everyday pain.The main character, Steven, is a person that many men might easily relate to, and a spouse that many women might recognize. He means well. He tries. But he knows his job is to provide and somehow he forgets there’s another provider, and that he’s also supposed to be present and part of his family.As Steven repeatedly reasons himself out of guilt, I find myself feeling sorry for him, then sorry for his wife, then guilty for my own mistakes—yes, wives make mistakes too. Meanwhile the angel in the truck-stop turns out to be a very real man with his own history and faults, as are all the other people Steven meets at Bo’s Café.I enjoyed the characters and their interactions. I valued the small insights into how their lives went downhill before they changed; they were changing still. But the story itself felt more preachy than The Shack—more determined to give me answers than to inspire me to seek for myself. The Shack had a lighter touch it seemed, filled with a sense of the wonder and otherness of God. But Bo’s Café is the other side of the same coin, heavier and more firmly grounded, with a God who is passionate about right relationships and attitudes.If Men are from Mars and Woman from Venus, then Bo’s Café might make a good sourcebook for translation. Mars and Venus strike sparks and fly apart, till they finally learn a way to live in balance with self and others. The book gives a fascinating insight into the male mind, and into God’s love. I enjoyed this it; just not so overwhelmingly as I enjoyed The Shack. An excellent book! Truly living out grace might be the most difficult challenge a follower of Jesus (and a church) faces. Among the pitfalls we find that our own self-protection and fear to truly let ourselves be known frequently sabotage the process and keep us from truly receiving and giving grace the way we want to. These authors are among the best out there at helping others live as authentic people, and this lively and entertaining novel does a great job of putting their insights into a context that mirrors real life. Highly recommended!
What do You think about Das Café: Jeder Braucht Einen Ort, An Dem Er Echt Sein Kann (2009)?
Great Christian Fiction that deals with personal shame and what experiencing grace really means.
—Matthasty
pale by comparison to the shack, though it's a good read.I'd recommend it for a light read.
—Jimmystark
There is a place where grace functions like a clock, and it's at Bo's.
—laquasha
