It was a struggle for me to get through this book. I had heard that the story was interesting and subtly profound. Unfortunately, I found this book seriously lacking creativity and suffering from a contrived style of writing.
I have read a lot of Christian fiction over the years, and in my opinion this was one of the most poorly written books in that genre. The character development was weak, the plot relatively boring, the imagery flat and the dialog predictable. I was also turned off by the apparent assumption that the reader of this book is a highly churched Christian. When reading a book, I hope to be taken on a journey and be surprised by an insightful and thought provoking story line. This just wasn’t the case with Bo’s.
The overall thought the book is trying to communicate is the need we have for authentic community and that people should lovingly extend God’s grace to everyone we know and meet. There were a few moments when I felt the book was beginning to build towards a good point, but the author’s seemed to bail out awkwardly on each one. This left me frustrated because I kept hoping for a nugget or new perspective that I could take away.
It’s my opinion that too often the Christian community excuses things done poorly because people have a “good heart” or intention in their motivation. In any creative medium I believe that we should pursue excellence in our message and presentation. While I can see the message the authors were trying to bring to light, it was a challenge for me to really engage in the story.
Overall a bit disappointed with this one.
Publisher’s Info:
High-powered executive Steven Kerner is living the dream in southern California. But when his bottled pain ignites in anger one night, his wife kicks him out. Then an eccentric mystery man named Andy Monroe befriends Steven and begins unravelling his tightly wound world. Andy leads Steven through a series of frustrating and revealing encounters to repair his life through genuine friendship and the grace and love of a God who has been waiting for him to accept it. A story to challenge and encourage, BO’S CAFE is a model for all who struggle with unresolved problems and a performance-based life. Those who desire a fuller, more authentic way of living will find this journey of healing a restorative exploration of God’s unbridled grace.
