A vet and part-time farmer, author Danielle Hawkins' new novel, The Pretty Delicious Cafe, offers more meat and bones than fluff.
THE PRETTY DELICIOUS CAFE
Danielle Hawkins
HarperCollins
By CAROLINE HUNTER
Set in a provincial New Zealand cafe, I thought this novel would be an effortless holiday read. And so it proved to be, but with a bit more grit than I was expecting.
Author Danielle Hawkins, an otherwise vet and part-time farmer, has a talent for witty and convincing dialogue and this, in particular, gives The Pretty Delicious Cafe verve and humour.
She's also a skilled sculptor of characters and I enjoyed the cast she assembled for this, her third foray into fiction.
I also appreciated the Kiwi references throughout. There is something reassuring and affirming about having your own culture reflected back at you, whether it be in movies, books, art or music. The comfort of the familiar, perhaps?
The central character, Lia, is almost at the end of her rope trying to hold things together in a very busy cafe with her friend and business partner, Anna.
When Lia is nearly scared witless by a late-night visit from a stranded motorist, the eerie bond with her twin brother becomes clear. In a moment of telepathy, he turns up to deal with the man who frightened her.
When you factor in that Anna is engaged to Lia's twin, and that the late-night visitor becomes a love interest for Lia, the potential for complications starts to emerge.
Add to that the pressure of a short-staffed business and an impending wedding, the stalkerish behaviour of Lia's ex-boyfriend and some problematic family dynamics and the stage is set for an engaging and original storyline.
The Pretty Delicious Cafe is well-paced and lively, and it is evident Hawkins has a good understanding of relationships, particularly those within families.
The only aspect that wasn't credible for me was some of the ESP-type communication between the twins. However, it was vital to make the plot work, so if you can overlook that flight of fancy, you will not be disappointed.
Caroline Hunter is an ODT subeditor.
Win a copy
The ODT has five copies of The Pretty Delicious Cafe by Danielle Hawkins to give away courtesy of HarperCollins. For your chance to win a set, email playtime@odt.co.nz with your name and postal address in the body of the email, and ‘‘Delicious Book Competition’’ in the subject line, by 5pm on Tuesday, February 28.
LAST WEEK’S WINNERS
Winners of last week’s giveaway, The Glass Universe, by Dava Sobel, courtesy of HarperCollins, were Carl Sagstad, Trevor Norton, Sue Cutfield, Nola Walker and Diane Paull.
