At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber (Forge, 2023)
Review by Warner Holme: Heather Webber’s At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities is the latest from an author who has made quite a name in the small town story genre. Weber has become known for such stories, and both they and she have gained a certain amount of following as a result.
While the title might evoke a cozy mystery or oddball fantasy novel, neither genre fits this volume very well. A murder is not a major driving force for the story, nor the investigation of a very specific crime. And while there are happenings in the book that might seem beyond normal, it does not at any point turn into a story focusing on these strange aspects.
That said the book is quite likely to fit the tastes of fans of both. Featuring quirky characters, a strange assortment of happenings which don’t seem quite natural, and a variety of complicated relationships and family secrets the story has hallmarks that will feel familiar to readers.
Aca Harrison gets a letter and chooses to rush at the chance to serve as a caretaker. Having suffered years with lost friends and medical issues, she is surprised that the letter from an old flame seems to contain a crumpled old job advertisement. In spite of the oddity and her own problems, some instinct tells her that this job offer in Driftwood, Alabama is the best hope she has.
Maggie May Brightwell is a single mother trying to run the same coffee place that her mother ran. The titular one in fact, and her father seems to be moving on and considering selling the facility. In response she has toyed with the idea of getting someone to take care of him. They reside in Driftwood, Alabama.
The way that these two lives interact is a definite major catalyst for the story as a whole. Sadly the book does not involve the pair finding love together, but instead with a pair of men from the story. Each of their personal journeys is entertaining and involves forming friendships and looking into the information quite readily. fire, declining health, recurring medical issues, and difficult interpersonal relationships remain the largest obstacles the characters have to face.
Make no mistake, the implications that the book is genre are rather undeniable. Individuals living beyond their span, prophetic dreams and enhanced senses are just some of the subtle uses of the world beyond the normal in the book. Some of them are given partially or completely mundane explanations throughout the story, and these are varying levels of believable as the actual cause. Others never really receive such an explanation, except perhaps by proxy, and as a result leave this just a little more Supernatural than a book that would fit into the “maybe magic maybe mundane” category.
At The Coffee Shop of Curiosities is a slightly unusual turn on small town fiction. While certainly over idealized, this is less an endorsement of any particular region or its mores. Highly recommended to any fan of her work, this book definitely continues with many of the best traditions of Heather Webber’s work. As it is a standalone, this book would also serve as a perfectly acceptable introduction to pieces by the author, a little comfort reading for a cold day.